Kochi: He was initially questioned for conspiracy in the sexual assault of a popular actress, but the Kerala police have also slapped charges of gangrape and abduction against actor Dileep.
"I am innocent, I was trapped. I will prove my innocence," the 48-year-old actor told reporters on Tuesday while he was taken to prison.
Dileep , who is presently the 11th accused, will be moved up to second in the additional charge sheet, behind prime accused Sunil Kumar a.k.a 'Pulsar'Suni . If found guilty, he could be behind bars for life.
The prominent actor has been charged under sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) 342, 366 (kidnapping), 376 D (gangrape), 411, 506 (1), 201(destruction of evidence), 212, 34 of IPC and 66 (e) and 67 (a) of IT act.
A day after his arrest on Monday which shocked the Malayalam film industry, Dileep was remanded in judicial custody and sent to the Aluva sub jail near his house.
What led to his arrest were call records, holes in his statement, and finally video of the prime accused Suni visiting his wife's boutique Lakshya, police sources told CNN-News18.
Sources claimed there were 19 pieces of evidence which prime facie showed Dileep, out of personal enmity, plotted to have a popular south Indian actress abducted and sexually assaulted in Kochi on February 17.
For one, Dileep kept insisting he didn't personally know the main accused Suni, but photos, videos and call records showed otherwise. In fact a selfie taken a year ago by a fan, and is now doing the rounds on social media, even showed Suni in the same frame as the actor.
The CCTV footage of Suni visiting Dileep’s wife Kavya Madhavan’s boutique in Kochi was sourced from shops nearby as the records at Lakshya were allegedly erased for the dates of February 16 to 18. The technician who is suspected to have done that was also questioned.
Police also said the supari money for the crime was Rs 1.5 crore and that they found that Rs 2 lakh was paid to Suni from Kavya's boutique after the crime.
Police sources did not elaborate on reasons for Dileep's fallout with the actress who was once a good family friend. Malayalam tabloids speculated it could be because she allegedly had a hand in his divorce from first wife Manju Warrier.
Other reports said the three were involved in realty deals that turned sour.
The popular south Indian actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in Ernakulam on February 17 while she was on her way back from a shooting location.
A group of men who stopped her car after a chase, sexually assaulted her in the moving vehicle for about 2 hours. They also allegedly took pictures and videos and blackmailed her before dropping her off by the roadside.
Six people, including 'Pulsar' Suni, were previously arrested in the case and police were investigating their links with the Malayalam film industry.
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