Nagpur NGO director held on charges of molesting woman, harassing employees

NAGPUR: Police have arrested the director of an NGO in Nagpur for allegedly molesting a female employee, harassing other women in his office and engaging in religious coercion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Riyaz Fazil Qazi (48), a resident of Anant Nagar, ran an NGO named'Universal Multipurpose Society' at Jhingabai Takli in the city, where five to six young women were employed, an official from Mankapur police station said.

A 23-year-old woman employee in her police complaint alleged that on her birthday, the accused called her to his cabin and molested her.

The victim claimed that the accused attempted to molest her on multiple occasions, but she resisted. Later, he allegedly made objectionable remarks to defame her and even created an Instagram account combining his and her name to monitor the online activities of women employees, the official said.

The complainant further alleged that the accused pressured her younger sister, who was also employed there, to follow the practices of a particular religion. Other female employees, too, raised concerns about his behaviour, according to police.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case and arrested the accused on Sunday. The accused was subsequently produced before a court, which remanded him in police custody till April 23, the official said.

Further investigation into the case was underway, the police added.