Rape accused AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra surfaces in Australia

Canberra [Australia], November 10 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, an accused in an alleged rape case, has surfaced in Australia after remaining absconding since September this year.

The Australia Today reported on Monday that Pathanmajra, the Sanour MLA, is wanted by the Punjab Police, which has been on the lookout for the AAP leader in connection with an alleged rape and cheating case.

The AAP MLA's presence in South Australia's Adelaide has come to light after he appeared in a video interview defending himself, claiming that he would return to India only after securing bail.

The Australia Today reported that Pathanmajra's fleeing to Australia comes as an "embarrassment" for the Punjab Police, which failed to find him despite carrying out multiple raids and issuing a lookout notice against the AAP MLA.

In an interview with an Australia-based Punjabi web channel, Pathanmajra dismissed the allegations against him as some form of "political conspiracy". "I will return to Punjab only after getting bail," Australia Today quoted AAP MLA Pathanmajra's statement aired on the Punjabi web channel.

Pathanmajra, a first-time MLA, faces serious charges relating to "rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation" and has been accused by a woman of "deceiving her" by claiming to be divorced before entering into a relationship in 2021, The Australia Today reported.

The woman has also accused the AAP MLA of subjecting her to "sexual exploitation, threats, and harassment".

The police attempted to arrest Pathanmajra on September 2 at a farmhouse in Haryana. However, The Australia Today reported, his supporters allegedly pelted stones and fired shots, helping him evade capture. A Patiala court later declared him an absconder after he skipped multiple hearings.

Pathanmajra has denied these allegations, telling Indian media he fled because he feared being "killed in a fake encounter."

The opposition in Punjab has criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of "shielding" his MLA.

Meanwhile, the Punjab police have sought the possibility of extraditing Pathanmajra, seeking assistance from India's central agencies to verify his location in Australia.

Law enforcement officials told The Australia Today that if confirmed, the case has been referred through diplomatic channels for cooperation from Australian authorities. "A lookout notice and proclamation order are already in place," one officer said.

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