Bhubaneswar, Feb. 2: A 23-year-old woman singer today alleged sexual harassment by a music composer.

The victim alleged that the 29-year-old composer of Odia music industry, Dipu Das Mohapatra, had exploited her physically with the promise to marry her. But later, he ditched her, the victim said.

She alleged that the composer had threatened to kill her if she lodged a police complaint. "We met at a musical programme two years ago in Bhubaneswar. Later, he started sending messages to me and asked me to visit his house in Bhubaneswar. When I reached his house, he forced me into a physical relationship," she said.

The victim also alleged that the music composer had promised to marry her.

"When I asked him for a court marriage, he abused me and threatened me. He even tried to strangulate me, but I somehow managed to escape from his house. Later, he provided my mobile numbers to others, and as a result of which, I have been receiving threatening calls from several unknown numbers," she alleged.

The woman also claimed to have the call recordings and WhatsApp chats to substantiate her allegations. The victim lodged a complaint at Mahila police station today.

On the other hand, Mohapatra said the singer was trying to defame him. "I have neither proposed to her nor promised to marry her. I am married, and the girl has been demanding money from me and threatening to lodge a complaint against me if I do not pay her," he said.

Deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi said the police had registered a case under sections 493 (cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage), 417 (punishment for cheating), 294 (use of obscene language), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. "We have started investigation after registering the case," said Bhoi.

Sources said the victim had earlier approached Madhyam (woman support centre) of the police, but it failed to make any amicable settlement between them.

On June 30 last year, the police arrested popular Odia comedian Tatwa Prakash Satpathy aka Pappu Pom Pom and his associate Pradipta Kumar Swain on charges of promoting casting couch and harassing a minor girl sexually.

The 38-year-old actor, who had contested the last Assembly elections in 2014 unsuccessfully from the Champua constituency on a BJD ticket, was arrested from an apartment in Puri. The incident had created a hue and cry in the Odia film industry.