Sexual harassment case: Telugu choreographer Jani Master arrested in Goa

Hyderabad: Tollywood choreographer Shaik Jani Basha, who is also known as Jani Master in the film industry, was arrested in Goa on Thursday. In her complaint to Raidurgam police station, a 21-year-old assistant choreographer had accused him of a series of sexual assaults since 2019.

The Cyberabad SOT police arrested the choreographer in Goa and are bringing him to Hyderabad on a transit remand.

Earlier, Jani Master was booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act by the Narsingi police.

After charging him under the POCSO Act, the Cyberabad Special Operation Team (SOT) formed four teams to launch a manhunt for the accused person. A team was sent to North India to search for Jani Master there. It is reported that he escaped from there and was finally caught in Goa by the SOT team.

The victim alleged that the choreographer had sexually assaulted her multiple times both on sets and once at a hotel in Mumbai. Following the complaint, the Raidurgam police filed a ‘Zero’ FIR in this case and transferred the case to the Narsingi police. The case was registered against him under sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), and sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) as well as clauses (2) and (n) of the IPC.

She also alleged that Jani Master’s wife would force her to agree to her husband’s demands and she would abuse and beat her if she refused his sexual advances.

It has been earlier reported that Jani Master has a previous criminal record. In 2019, he was sentenced to six months in jail by a local court in Medchal for assaulting a woman at a college in 2015.

Born Shaik Jani Basha on July 2, 1982, Jani Master is a prominent Indian dance choreographer who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil cinema. He has also choreographed for Kannada and Hindi films.

Jani Master is known for his expertise in Western and folk dance styles and has won a National Film Award, three Filmfare Awards South, and three SIIMA Awards.

He began his career as a dancer in Telugu films and on ETV’s Telugu dance reality show “Dhee.” His choreography includes Telugu films such as “Drona” (2009) and “Racha” (2012).

He has worked with prominent actors like Ram Charan, Pawan Kalyan, Allu Arjun, N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Pothineni, and Ravi Teja. Jani Master has also sung a song dedicated to Ram Charan.