Bengaluru: MD asks for sexual favours as 'birthday gift' from CEO, held

Bengaluru: Managing Editor of a private firm in Bengaluru has been accused of sexual harassment as he asked for sexual favours as a 'birthday gift' from business partner, the CEO of the company. The woman filed a police complaint, claiming that this is an innuendo.

The woman alleged that the MD asked her to spend a day with him in his room, threatened to strip her in public and also misbehaved with her in the office lift.

Rekha (name changed) is the CEO of a healthcare company that focuses on creating cards for personalised health data. According to her complaint with the Bommanahalli police, soon after she started working with the accused, Brise John, he started sexually harassing her.

Rekha also told the police that he invited her for a trip to Chennai on August 1. Police investigating the case said that John, 53, a native of Hyderabad, did misbehave with Rekha and they were friends and formerly colleagues. Rekha who reportedly had a dispute with her husband, later became close to John and they started the company.

They are believed to have travelled to Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai and other places on business trips and stayed in the same hotel. Recently, they had
outsourced the software operations for their company for which John was to pay the vendor. Rekha claimed he refused to do so unless she 'fulfiled' his demands.

Bommanahalli police have arrested John under section 354 (a)- Physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures; 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation; and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).