A Tollywood movie director was arrested on Thursday by the Hyderabad police for allegedly raping a colleague.
According to reports, Mummidi Karthikeya (42), allegedly raped a 32-year-old married woman from Visakhapatnam several times, also video recording the act, and blackmailing her later.
The Times of India reported that Karthikeya was the co-director of a Tollywood under-production movie Pandagala Vachadu.
"Karthikeya met the woman through Facebook. He introduced himself as a film director and lured the victim to invest in the movie. He made her come to Hyderabad and sexually exploited her at a flat in Manikonda after offering her a soft drink which was laced with sedatives," Medipally inspector K Jagannath Reddy told the newspaper.
The TOI report adds that the victim has three children, while Karthikeya himself is married. He was booked and sent to judicial remand.
Pandagala Vachadu is an upcoming Telugu film, which is expected to release later this year.
According to reports, the film is directed by Karthikeya Prasad and stars Nara Rohit, Neelam Upadhyaya and Lakshmi Kritika in the lead.
Though initially expected to hit the screens last year, the film's release was postponed.