Mumbai police files FIR against Italian designer Valentino

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Mumbai Police has registered an FIR against Italian fashion design brand Valentino, its billionaire founder Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani and some officials, based on a complaint filed on behalf of an Indian-American fashion designer, on the directions of a metropolitan magistrate. The magistrate on July 7 directed the police (Matunga police station) to register an FIR, saying a perusal of the complaint and documents annexed by the complainant reveals that «the cognisable offence has been committed by the proposed accused».

The charges against Garavani and seven others include assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal breach of trust, cheating, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy under Sections 354, 409, 420, 506 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The complainant, one Pradeep Kumar Sharma, approached the court saying he had filed a complaint on behalf of an Indian-American fashion designer and manufacturer on June 15 but the police was yet to register an FIR.

The complaint, accessed by ET, alleged that a few years back Garavani had approached the New York-based designer, who also owns a house in Mumbai, asking her to present her designs to him and later offered her work. Soon after the designer started working with the global fashion house, two officials of Valentino including a woman, who has been booked by the Mumbai Police, started «harassing and troubling» her «by threatening her that if she did not provide expensive gifts or sexual favours, they would discontinue her contract with Valentino», it alleged.