Rape Case Filed Against Domino’s Pizza Franchise Owner in India
Indian Businessman Shyam S Bhartia Accused of Rape and Criminal Intimidation by Aspiring Bollywood Actress
Indian police have registered a case against Shyam S Bhartia, a prominent businessman and founder of Jubilant Bhartia Group, along with three others, over allegations of rape and criminal intimidation. The case follows a complaint by an aspiring Bollywood actress, who claims Bhartia intoxicated and "brutally" raped her in Singapore.
Bhartia, whose company Jubilant FoodWorks operates as the largest franchisee for Domino’s Pizza outside the United States, has denied the accusations, calling them "baseless, false, and disparaging" in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Jubilant FoodWorks stated that Bhartia would cooperate fully with the investigation. However, the company has not provided a separate response to requests for comment from the BBC.
The complainant, whose identity remains undisclosed under Indian law, initially approached the police on November 11, 2024. However, the case was formally registered only on February 22, following an order by the Bombay High Court after reviewing her petition.
According to the complaint and legal documents seen by the BBC, the woman first encountered Bhartia in 2022 at a luxury hotel in Mumbai through a co-accused who allegedly promised to introduce her to influential figures in the entertainment industry. She claims Bhartia expressed interest in investing in her film project and invited her to Singapore, even providing his credit card details for her travel arrangements.
The woman further alleges that in 2023, after she arrived in Singapore, Bhartia drugged and sexually assaulted her. She also claims that one of the co-accused recorded a video of the incident. She asserts that Bhartia continued to assault her multiple times throughout the year.
In its filing, Jubilant FoodWorks emphasized that the court had not assessed the "merits of the complaint" and dismissed the allegations as having been made with "clear mala fide intent" against Bhartia.
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