Molest taint on celebrity cosmetic surgeon
- Vijay Sharma, who says he is friends with stars, behind bars after reporter & patient complain


A high-society cosmetic surgeon, arrested yesterday for trying to allegedly kiss and grope a television journalist, returned home on bail today only to be arrested again after a former patient accused him of molesting her.

Dr Vijay Sharma, 48, who flaunts his friendship with several movie stars and is a well-known figure on the city’s socialite circuit, was picked up this evening on a complaint filed by a 30-year-old housewife.

“We arrested Sharma after the woman filed a case against him following today’s media reports about the complaint lodged by the reporter. She said she was molested three times by the doctor who also sent her lewd text messages,” a police officer told PTI.

Sharma was arrested yesterday after the 22-year-old reporter accused him of trying to molest her at his clinic where she had gone to interview him.

“When the interview was over, she stood up to thank him. Her camera crew had already left the room. On the pretext of shaking her hand, Dr Sharma pulled her close to him, tried to kiss her on the lips and started to feel her,” said Falguni Brahmabhatt, the lawyer for the reporter of a yet-to-be-launched news channel.

“When the girl resisted, he took a sharp, surgical instrument and threatened to kill her and told her that he can spoil her life with his money and muscle power.”

The reporter later filed a complaint with Khar police station.

The doctor’s family and friends claimed he was being “framed” for “cheap publicity”.

“There was a camera crew with the journalist,” Sharma’s daughter Veronica said. “Why didn’t anyone come to help her?”

“His family says there were two women assistants and a peon in the clinic,” added Ganpat Jain, a friend of the surgeon. “How come no one had any clue about the incident?”

Senior inspector Ajit Sawant said Sharma was calm when the police reached his clinic, Cosmetic Surgery Centre of India, to arrest him. “He said he knew the police commissioner well. When we interrogated him about the incident, he said ‘bas, ho gaya’.”

Sawant said the clinic’s staff had denied the incident but many former clients had claimed they had stopped visiting his clinic because of his “over-familiar” manners.

The police have booked Sharma on charges of outraging the modesty of a woman and criminal intimidation.

Sharma — who heads the All India Cosmetic Surgeons’ Association — had his clinic’s website launched by actress Priyanka Chopra, who also opened a makeover centre on Friday.

He also flaunts his friendship with actors Fardeen Khan, Jackie Shroff and Shahid Kapur on his website.