JOIN USFilipino 'abuse victim' wants to marry the 'tormentor'
Ten days after she levelled a charge of “cheating and sexual harassment” against her Bihar boyfriend, with whom she came in touch through a social media site, the 42-year-old Filipino wants to marry her ‘tormentor’, who is languishing in jail after he was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody on January 19.
The victim Shelah Lyn Arnado of Philippines, who works with a private agency on US Air Force project in Afghanistan, last month developed friendship with 27-year-old Gyan Prakash, a trader based in West Champaran, through chatting.
As the duo decided to celebrate New Year’s party together, Shelah flew down to Patna on December 30 where Gyan’s friend Abhinav received her at Jaya Prakash Narayan Airport and arranged her stay at Hotel Republic in Patna.
On the eve of New Year, she along with Gyan, left for Bodh Gaya, where the couple had a good time while staying at the hotel. After three days of togetherness and a promise made by Gyan “to marry her soon”, Shelah left for New Delhi from Gaya on January 2.
But within a fortnight, she made a complaint to the Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Abhayanand, through e-mail, in which she accused Gyan of “cheating and sexual harassment” and narrated in detail how she was forced to pay the hotel stay, transport and other merchandise expenses.
After the DGP forwarded her mail to the IG (weaker sections) Arvind Pandey, Gyan was picked up from Champaran and produced in Gaya (the high-profile case was lodged at Bodh Gaya police station).
Gyan admitted that he was in love with the Filipino and had developed physical relationship with the foreigner during their three-day sojourn at Bodh Gaya.
The youth was slapped with sexual assault charges and after being remanded to judicial custody and was sent to the Gaya Central Jail.
Immediately after Gyan was thrown behind bars, the “love story” took a U-turn and Shelah called up the Senior SP (SSP) of Gaya, Vinay Kumar, pleading him to release her “tormentor” as she never wanted his imprisonment or any police excesses.
All she wanted was a certain commitment from him that he would eventually marry her. But by then, the youth was booked with sexual assault of a foreigner. Seeing legal hurdles, the Filipino then wrote to the DGP and other top police brass demanding that Gyan be released as she never wanted a jail term for her boyfriend.
“She has been pleading me to release the boy but her statements lack consistency. Presuming that her basic intention is to get married, we have to take precautionary measures because it involves a foreigner. Therefore, she has been told to either come and give a statement before the investigating officer of the case, or depose before the court.