Shiney's maid says she was never raped

In a twist in the sensational rape case involving actor Shiney Ahuja, his maid has backtracked from her allegations that he raped her at his residence here last year and said the incident never occurred.

The 20-year-old girl appeared before a court on September 3, and said that she was never raped by Shiney and that she had filed the complaint against the actor at the behest of the woman who had secured her the job of a maid in Ahuja's residence.

In June last year, the girl had lodged a police complaint alleging that she was raped by the actor at his residence.Shiney was subsequently arrested on June 14 and was released on bail three months later.

"On September 3, the victim identified Shiney in the court and said she used to work at his residence as a domestic help. But when asked about the incident she said it never happened and that she was never raped," public prosecutor Kashinath Dighe said.

Following this, the court declared her hostile.If the court deems fit, she can be punished for perjury, he said. The prosecution will continue presenting other evidence including the statements of 12 other witnesses, forensic reports and other documentary evidence.

The next date of hearing has been fixed on September 15. The police in its 109-page chargesheet had charged Shiney with rape and wrongfully confining the victim. He faces a maximum punishment of ten years if convicted. The victim in her complaint to the police had said on June 14 last year that she and the 37-year-old actor were alone in the house when Shiney allegedly raped her.

The maid had alleged that Shiney had confined her to his bedroom for hours before allowing her to go. Once she was allowed to go, she told her aunt about the incident who then took her to the Oshiwara police station to lodge a complaint. Shiney in his defence had said that he was falsely implicated and that he was innocent.