india

Updated: Jun 25, 2019 18:07 IST

Actress and former AAP politician Cecille Rodrigues complained to the police late Monday night of online sexual harassment and stalking.

Rodrigues who had unsuccessfully contested the 2017 Goa Assembly elections alleged that one Estonio Almeida “began harassing, irritating and stalking her with several messages using lewd and vulgar comments” on Facebook and Whatsapp.

“Initially I ignored him. However, I became concerned for my minor son’s safety as well as my own safety after it became evident that he was a resident of Taleigao and was clearly informing me about my whereabouts,” Rodrigues said in her complaint to the police.

HT has a copy of her complaint to the police.

A single mother, Rodrigues who is a dance instructor and who had appeared on a reality TV show, claimed she spoke of her experience with other women who said they too were targeted by the same man. She said Almeida has asked her phone number on the pretext of asking her for dance classes she was offering.

“On speaking of my harassment experience with other women, I was shocked to be informed that he has been harassing several other women using similar lewd and vulgar comments,” she said.

The Women’s Police station in Panaji is yet to file a FIR but staff at the station said that they have started a preliminary enquiry in the matter.

In a post on Facebook, which he later deleted, Almeida said he was “extremely sorry about it.”

“Apologies from my end... I regret for the same it was a mistake it won’t be repeated from my end extremely sorry about it (sic),” Almeida said.

Almeida has a history of assaulting women with a complaint dating as far back as 2014 in which a woman complained that he had slapped and punched her and pulled her hair in a public place.

He was arrested for the offence.