A 44-year-old massage therapist from Plainsboro has been charged with sexually assaulting a client after a woman told police he assaulted her during a massage at a Route 206 business in Skillman, and investigators say four more women later came forward with similar accounts. Riyas Abdulkhaderkunju now faces one count of second-degree sexual assault and five counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact. He has been released from jail pending trial.
According to Daily Voice, Montgomery Township police responded to the massage therapy establishment on Route 206 in Skillman at 7:12 p.m. on June 26 after a woman said she had been sexually assaulted during a massage. That initial report triggered a broader investigation that, per the same outlet, “revealed four additional victims who said they were sexually assaulted by Abdulkhaderkunju.”
Investigation Widens to Five Accusers
Detectives launched the probe with the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit after the June 26 call, and investigators ultimately interviewed all four additional women who came forward, according to Shore News Network. The outlet reports that the five women said they experienced sexual assault or unwanted sexual contact while receiving massages at the Skillman business. Prosecutors have not disclosed the identity of the massage business or when the additional alleged incidents occurred, the report notes.
Investigators arrested Abdulkhaderkunju on September 24 in Plainsboro, and he was transported to Somerset County jail pending a detention hearing, per the Shore News Network account. The Plainsboro Police Department assisted in the investigation. He was subsequently charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault and five counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
Charges and Release Conditions
Under New Jersey law, sexual assault is addressed in Section 2C:14-2 of the state statutes, while the criminal sexual contact charges fall under a provision that the New Jersey Legislature classifies as a crime of the fourth degree. A judge released Abdulkhaderkunju from jail pending trial, and he is prohibited from contacting any alleged victims as a condition of that release, the Shore News Network report states. The prosecutor's office did not disclose any additional release conditions.
Statements on the investigation were attributed to Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Chief of County Detectives Meredith McKay, and Montgomery Township Chief of Police Silvio Bet, according to Daily Voice's report. The three officials are asking anyone with information about the investigation to come forward.
How to Reach Investigators
Tipsters can contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Montgomery Township Police Department at 908-359-3222. Anonymous information can also be submitted through scpo.tips or by calling the Somerset County Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477).
