Sexual harassment case: Ex-MPCA official Shah remains untraced

Former official of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), Alpesh Shah, accused of sexually harassing a teenage player, was untraceable even almost a month after an FIR was registered against him.
Police had announced a reward of Rs 5,000 on Shah.
"We are searching Shah, but till now we have not received any clue about his whereabouts," Tukoganj police station in-charge, Manoj Ratnakar told PTI today.
In a major setback to the former MPCA joint secretary, Madhya Pradesh High Court recently rejected his plea seeking quashing of FIR registered against him and left it to the discretion of investigating officer to arrest Shah.

The 18-year-old player had alleged that Shah, also the coordinator of Under-19 Women's Cricket Team for MPCA, behaved in an "obscene manner" with her after calling her to visit him in the Administrative Block of the Holkar Stadium for seeking "special blessings", on September 23.
On the basis of statement of the cricketer, police on November 28 registered an FIR under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC against Shah.

Shah has denied the allegations.
A local court had earlier this month directed the 18-year-old to record her statement under section 164 of CrPc and also rejected Shah's application seeking anticipatory bail.

However, the disgraced official got some relief yesterday when the complainant accepted his written apologies before a five-member MPCA committee, headed by former high court judge Indrani Dutta, sources said.
The panel ended its further probe into the matter in view of the complainant and the accused heading towards a compromise on the issue.