Bengaluru, Oct 30: A youth in Bengaluru was arrested by the police for allegedly stalking a south Indian actress and pressuring her to love and marry him.
The accused has been arrested as Franklin Whisil (28), an employee with a private firm located in Basavanagudi and resident of Electronic City.
Madiwala police took action after actress Reba Monica John, a resident of Koramangala I Block, filed a complaint accusing him of stalking her for over a year. Reba debuted last year with Malayalam movie 'Jacobinte Swargarajyam'.
"Whisil was charged with IPC section 354D (stalking) and was produced before the court. Later, he was released on bail," a police officer said.
The actor, a resident of Bengaluru for 13 years, said in her complaint that she used to visit St Anthony's Church on Hosur Main Road in Madiwala every Sunday. She noticed that since October 1, 2016, Whisil had been following her whenever she visited the church and also back to her residence. The actor said she ignored him.
However, Whisil managed to collect her cellphone number and began sending her messages, demanding that she love him and marry him. He also sent her some indecent messages. He had also managed to collect her family and personal details.
"I warned him in the church on May 7 this year not to send messages to me or follow me. He was silent for two months and again started sending messages and harassing me mentally," she wrote in her complaint.
Though the actor's parents requested Madiwala police to let off Whisil after warning him, they took a serious view of the incident and booked a criminal case against him.
Police pointed out that any person who folllows and repeatedly contacts or attempts to contact to foster personal interaction despite a clear indication of disinterest by such a woman or uses any kind of electronic devices to send messages to her is guilt of stalking under IPC section 354D. They picked up Whisil from his residence and he is believed to have told police that he won't harass the actor in future.
Reba became popular in Kerala after she came second in a TV reality show in 2013. She acted in several commercial advertisements before landing the role in Jacobinte Swargarajyam.

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