TV actor Rohit Chandel arrested under Pocso for stalking minor

The Mumbai police on Friday arrested television actor Rohit Chandel for allegedly stalking and harassing a 16-year-old girl in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai. Chandel, 29, has worked on shows like Kashibai Bajirao Ballal and Pandya Store. He was produced before the court on Friday and remanded to judicial custody. Chandel has been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and sections related to stalking and voluntarily causing hurt under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, a police officer said. The officer said that, according to the complaint, Chandel and the teenager knew each other. He allegedly began calling her repeatedly. When she did not respond, he allegedly started using other numbers to reach her, the complaint stated. According to the officer, Chandel, who stays in Dahisar, had an altercation with the teenager on July 5 when he confronted her near her residence. He allegedly began shouting at her, chased her, and assaulted her. The girl then approached the local police station, where a First Information Report was registered against Chandel. The officer said that the police will collect footage from CCTV cameras in the locality where the alleged incident occurred. The police will also record the girl’s detailed statement, based on which the investigation will proceed, he added.