Mumbai: Chief marketing officer of top company booked for molesting former employee

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The NM Joshi Marg Police in Mumbai has booked a chief marketing officer (CMO) of a leading company for allegedly molesting and sexually harassing a former woman employee of the company, the police said.

According to complainant, who was working as marketing head from 2013 till 2020 in the company, the CMO consistently touched her inappropriately. The complainant has also alleged that she was terminated from the services for allegedly refusing him sexual advances and no action was taken when she gave a written complaint to the higher authorities.

The FIR filed by the 43-year-old former employee says that she joined the company which is located in Lower Parel in 2013 as a Marketing Head. As per the job profile, she had to report to the CEO of the company regularly and update the CMO once in 3 months. On June 2013, during the annual day function at a five star hotel the CMO allegedly touched her inappropriately during a group photo. She gave him an angry look and left from the venue, police sources said.

Later, after a couple of days, the CMO called her to his cabin and told her to report him regularly. She also alleged that, CMO used to call her in cabin when nobody was around and allegedly stare at her body, the FIR said.

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The FIR further said, In 2014 when she got married, the CMO allegedly asked her about her honeymoon and experience. In February 2017, when she was refused to join an off site training at Lonavala, she was called by the secretary of the CMO who told her that, 'boss will would be angry if she does not attend the training.' After which she decided to attended the training.

It said, On training day, CMO allegedly showed her the room keys and allegedly told her, "this is her last chance and it would lead to her termination". She then left from the place, on the same night, the CMO allegedly wrote to the HR head of the company and asked to terminate her.

In April 2017, She wrote a formal complaint to the group HR director who in reply allegedly asked her not to file a complaint as her career would be badly affected. When she consistently pursued to give a formal complaint to the higher officials, a committee was constituted on April 2019 which allegedly gave a clean chit to CMO in January 2020. She was later officially terminated on June 2020 without any prior notice, her complaint to the police said.

Finally on Saturday, she decided to reach out to the police and registered a complaint with the NM Joshi Marg police station that has booked the CMO.

"As per the complaint an FIR has been filed against one person under IPC section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) 506 (criminal intimidation) and relevant sections of IT Act" a senior official from NM Joshi marg police station said.