This is not the first time that Nitesh Sharma, the 36-year-old techie who was arrested for allegedly stalking a Mumbai designer, has been accused of such an offence.
Also Read: IT Professional Arrested for Stalking a Designer in Mumbai
Sharma’s first wife had lodged a similar complaint against him with the Pune police a few years ago, accusing him of harassing her despite several warnings. She also slapped him with a restraining order.
After news of the Mumbai incident came to light, a woman, who identified herself as Sharma’s second wife, took to Facebook to urge the designer, Aditi Naugpal, to take the matter to the police.
‘He Is an Extreme Pervert’
A source, who is a close relative of Sharma’s second wife, told The Quint on condition of anonymity that Sharma had refused to see her ever since the couple welcomed a baby girl four months ago.
“She’s too depressed and too scared to come out, and voice these things. That’s why, she’s asking us to speak for her,” said the source.
He is an extreme pervert. His second wife gave birth to a girl only four months ago. He visited her once, and has blocked her since. There had been no contact with him for the past month, and now, we have learnt of this (the designer’s case).
“He just wouldn’t take her to the doctor – not even when she suffered burns, a knee fracture, and more recently, serious complications in her pregnancy,” the source said.
The relative said that the woman, who lives in Bhatinda with her parents, will approach the police to file a complaint, alleging cruelty and unnatural sex. The woman’s family also plans to approach the Amboli police in Mumbai – who had arrested Sharma this week – to see if an FIR (First Information Report) can be registered in Mumbai, and transferred to Bhatinda or Noida, where the couple lived after they tied the knot.
Also Read: After Chandigarh, a Shocking Case of Stalking Emerges From Mumbai
The source said that Sharma met his second wife through a matrimonial website in early 2014. Her family shortlisted his profile for prospective grooms, but the woman turned him down after calling him overweight. One year later, he shed weight and begged her to reconsider the proposal. The woman agreed and the couple tied the knot in March 2015.
During their time as a married couple, Sharma lost his job at a Noida firm, following which he found employment in Hyderabad, only to be sacked from there within a month. Meanwhile, his wife developed complications in her pregnancy, and Sharma asked her to move in with her parents. Later, when she was feeling better, he refused to take her back, citing excuses. Four months ago, she gave birth to a baby girl.
“After her delivery, we tried calling him, messaging him, but he just hasn’t responded, except for his five-minute visit to his daughter,” the relative said.
‘Sharma Harassed First Wife’
The source said that Sharma’s first marriage, to a Pune-based woman, took place around a decade ago. The woman had a son soon after, following which Sharma allegedly abandoned her. The relative said that even after the divorce, Sharma would keep stalking her, after which the woman was compelled to file a police complaint against him, and also availed a restraining order against him.
The relative said:
After his second wife delivered the baby girl, Sharma started calling and messaging his first wife again. He suddenly had this surge of love for his son, and wished to get to know him, while simultaneously refusing to visit his newborn daughter.
Police to Probe Past Complaints
Bharat Gaikwad, senior inspector, Amboli police, who arrested Sharma in Nagpaul's case, told The Quint that the police have taken cognisance of the Facebook post by Sharma's second wife. The matter will be forwarded to the concerned police station for further action, Gaikwad said. “As for the complaint filed against him by his first wife in Pune, we shall probe all past cases registered against him,” he said.
The Quint reached out to Sharma’s lawyer and his family, but they remained unavailable for comment.
“His parents have changed their numbers or blocked us. We even visited their home in Mansa, Punjab a couple of times, but it was locked,” said the source.
When asked about Sharma’s parents’ claim that the techie was “mentally unstable,” the source said: “There is nothing wrong with him. Whatever he does, he does it deliberately. All these claims are his family’s attempts to protect him. He is a pervert without regrets. Even when the cops asked him about the designer, he reportedly said ‘I liked her, so I followed her.’”
Sharma’s second wife also approached Nagpaul via Facebook, stating that the man was a “bloody sperm donor,” who plays with women’s lives, marries them, has kids, and abandons them. The second wife egged Nagpaul to file an FIR against him, and ensure that he wasn’t let off the hook easily. “A habitual stalker,” said Nagpaul.
(The writer is a journalist, and author of the critically-acclaimed true crime book, ‘The Front Page Murders: Inside the Serial Killings that Shocked India. )
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