Mon Mar 31 15:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Bollywood Director Arrested on Rape and Abortion Charges
**New Delhi, India** – Sanuj Mishra, a 45-year-old Bollywood director who recently offered a role to Mona Lisa, a woman who went viral after appearing at the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela, has been arrested by Delhi Police on charges of rape, assault, forced abortion, and threats.
Mishra was arrested on March 30, 2024, in Ghaziabad after a 28-year-old woman alleged a four-year long abusive relationship. The woman, who had been living with Mishra in Mumbai, claimed he forced her to undergo three abortions and repeatedly raped her after initially meeting him through social media in 2020. She also stated that Mishra drugged and assaulted her, filming the encounter, and threatened to release the footage if she resisted. He allegedly lured her with promises of marriage and a film career. The woman filed a complaint after Mishra failed to keep his marriage promise. Police investigations corroborated the woman’s claims, uncovering medical documents related to abortions in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The Delhi High Court previously rejected Mishra’s bail application.
Mishra’s arrest follows earlier controversies surrounding his film “The Diary of Manipur,” which features Mona Lisa. Producer Wasim Rizvi (also known as Jitendra Tyagi) had previously accused Mishra of being an alcoholic who had exploited several women, claiming Mishra was attempting to exploit Mona Lisa, and that he had absconded with funds from a previous film.
The woman, in a subsequent video statement, alleged that Rizvi and others had emotionally manipulated her into filing the charges, stating that the relationship was consensual and that she had been influenced by Mishra’s enemies. Rizvi denied any involvement, stating the case was a personal matter between Mishra and the woman. Mona Lisa’s family also denied any knowledge of the incident.
The investigation is ongoing. Mishra is currently in police custody.
First Piper 