The situation was exacerbated by Siddharth Mallya, the director of the Royal Challengers
Bangalore for which Australian Luke Pomersbach plays. In a tweet hours after the cricketer was arrested for allegedly molesting an American woman in a five-star
hotel in the national
capital and beating up her fiance, who was hospitalised with severe injuries, Mallya suggested that the shoe was on the other foot.
“The girl who is accusing Luke is saying he hit her ‘fiance’…what a load of f****** s***. She was all over me last night and asked for me bbm pin, so if he was her fiance she wasn’t exactly behaving like a future wife,” Mallya tweeted.
The woman’s lawyer immediate shot back, threatening to sue Mallya.
The Australian high commission sent a diplomat to meet the cricketer and was also in touch with Delhi Police to provide him
legal assistance.
Pomersbach is alleged to have molested the woman, Zohail Hameed, at the ITC Maurya hotel in New Delhi. Her fiance Sahil Peerzada, who is in his 30s, was beaten up by the player when he tried to stop him and was admitted to Primus Hospital in the diplomatic area of the national capital, police said.
Pomersback was later released on interim bail till Saturday on a personal
bond of Rs 20,000. He had fainted in court as the hearing began but was quickly revived.
Doctors attending on Peerzada said that his condition was stable.
“He’s doing okay right now. An ear
surgery was done and he might get discharged in 48 hours or so. He did not suffer any brain injury and his condition is stable,” said Deep Makkar, deputy medical superintendent of Primus Hospital.
Giving details of the incident, Hameed told a
television channel that it happened when Pomersbach, along with some others, joined them for a drink. She also alleged that
the hotel staff did not cooperate with her in calling the police.
RCB owner Vijay Mallya said he regretted the incident. “RCB will give full cooperation to authorities for fair investigation and so that the case if disposed of in accordance with law. He (Pomersbach) won’t be taking the field till the matter is sorted out.”
