The Delhi Police on Monday arrested film director Sanoj Mishra, who offered a movie role to Monalisa, a girl selling flowers at the Maha Kumbh who became a viral sensation, in a case of raping an aspiring actress after the Delhi High Court rejected his plea for anticipatory bail.

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“Sanoj Mishra, the director who offered viral sensation Monalisa a role in his film during the Kumbh Mela, has been arrested in connection with a rape case,” the Delhi Police said. 
“Sanoj Mishra was apprehended by the Delhi Police following intelligence gathering and technical surveillance. It is alleged that he raped a girl from a small town, who aspired to become a heroine, several times,” it added.

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The 45-year-old filmmaker was apprehended in Ghaziabad and taken to the Nabi Karim Police Station in Delhi, where he remains in custody, said an India Today report. Mishra, who is married and lives with his family in Mumbai, is facing serious allegations from an aspiring actress who hails from a small town.

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The complainant, a 28-year-old woman, alleged that she met Mishra through social media platforms TikTok and Instagram in 2020 while living in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi. Mishra allegedly coerced her into meeting him. On June 18, 2021, he took her to a resort, drugged her, and sexually assaulted her, reports India Today.
The victim further claimed that Mishra took objectionable photos and videos of her and used them to blackmail her into a relationship. She claims he lured her with promises of marriage and film opportunities, forcing her into a live-in relationship in Mumbai. During this time, he reportedly assaulted her on multiple occasions for four years and forced her to undergo abortions thrice in Muzaffarnagar, from where police have reportedly gathered supporting medical evidence.

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The film director allegedly abandoned her in February 2025 and threatened to leak her private pictures and videos if she filed a complaint against him.

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Mishra had gained attention when he personally visited 16-year-old Monalisa Bholsle, a flower seller who became a viral sensation during Maha Kumbh, and her family in their village for a potential Bollywood debut and offered a role.