Man who threw hazardous chemical at ex-girlfriend arrested

Jerrit G John, the owner of a film production house who allegedly threw hazardous chemical at his former physiotherapist girlfriend earlier this week, has been arrested from Nalasopara in neighbouring Thane district.

"John has been picked from Nalasopara area and I have interrogated him...he admitted he had thrown acid on a woman at Worli," Deepak Devraj, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Thane (Rural) said.

John (46) now would be handed over to Dadar police in the city. According to sources, the accused was hiding in a hotel at Nalasopara.

According to police, John, who owns the production house 'No Nonsense' and has produced-directed television serials, flung chemical at the 26-year-old Aryanka Hosbetkar at her residence at Adarsh Colony in Worli on Wednesday.

Hosbetkar, who is also an international-level cyclist, had returned from a cycling expedition in the morning and was with her friends at the time. The accused dragged Aryanka upstairs and allegedly flung the chemical on her face as her shocked mother and friends watched.

She was taken to a private hospital where she was treated and discharged on Thursday.

According to police, John, who also cycles regularly, has worked as a creative consultant with TV channels, ad-film makers and has also been associated with a few Bollywood movies.

The two were facing problems in their 10-month-old relationship after Hosbetkar came to know that he was married with a five-year-old son.

John has been booked for causing grievous injury and also for theft and wrongful confinement, as he had allegedly snatched away Hosbetkar's phone and locked her up after attacking her.