Canberra, Australia:

An Indian-origin public servant in Australia has been refused bail after being accused of stalking and threatening a woman he met through a dating app. A court ruled that releasing him could put the woman’s safety and wellbeing at serious risk. The accused, identified as 31-year-old Suyash Sinha, appeared before the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Magistrates Court on Wednesday, October 14, after police arrested him during an operation at his home.

According to ABC News, prosecutors opposed Sinha’s release, claiming he had become obsessed with the woman and continued contacting her despite her repeated rejection. They argued that granting bail could put her safety at risk and that he might interfere with witnesses or evidence. The court also heard that the woman was frightened by his alleged behaviour and was experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

According to ABC News, despite allegedly saying to Mr Sinha, “I told you, I’m not interested”, the woman continued to receive messages from him over the following months. It is alleged she would sometimes receive multiple friend requests in a day, including from accounts with “bizarre, intimidating and harassing” usernames, including “will be seeing you soon …” and “I hate you so much, goodbye”.

The woman went to the police in September and was advised to deactivate her social media accounts. The court heard officers executed a search warrant on the man’s home yesterday and seized a number of devices.

Special Magistrate Lucinda Wilson refused the man’s bail application, telling him the allegations of his “intense” behaviour showed a “complete disregard for the rights, safety and issues of the complainant”.

“I appreciate you have interests in the community, but I consider your risk to the safety and health and wellbeing of the complainant is too great,”  Special Magistrate Wilson said. The case will return to court next month.