KOCHI: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the assault and abduction of a Malayalam actress has named actor Dileep as the eight accused in the supplementary chargesheet it filed before the Angamaly Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Wednesday. Sunil Kumar aka Pulsar Suni is named as the first accused in the chargesheet. Dileep’s ex-wife Manju Warrier is one of the witnesses according to the chargesheet which runs over 1,450 pages. The filing of the chargesheet against Dileep comes almost five months after the SIT arrested him on July 10 after being grilled for almost 13 hours.
After spending 85 days in the Aluva sub-jail, Dileep secured bail from the Kerala High Court and was released on October 3. The SIT chargesheet has also arraigned Pulsar Suni’s former counsels Raju Joseph and his junior Pratheesh Chacko and Suni’s fellow inmates at the Ernakulam District Jail Mesthiri Sunil and Vishu. Two of the accused, Vipin Lal, who helped Suni contact Dileep from the jail and Civil Police Officer Anish, who provided his mobile phone to Pulsar Suni to make the call to Dileep while in custody, have turned approvers.
The chargesheet says Dileep was the principal conspirator and had hand-picked Suni to execute his nefarious design as the latter was a hardened career criminal capable of executing such a heinous crime. “The motive behind the conspiracy and the subsequent commission of the crime is Dileep believed his family life was wrecked by the victim of the assault, as she purportedly passed on unnecessary details about him and his activities to his then-wife Manju,” it says.
There had been reports Dileep will be named the first accused. However, SIT named him the eighth accused following a legal opinion. The SIT chargesheet contains testimonies from 355 persons, including Manju Warrier, 33 confidential statements recorded under CrPC Section 164. It also contains about 400 documents, including the results of various scientific tests. The assault took place on February 17 when a gang led by Pulsar Suni allegedly intercepted the actor’s car on NH 544 near Parambayam, while the victim was en route to Kochi from Thrissur for shooting a movie.
In April, the SIT filed a chargesheet against seven persons. It arraigned Pulsar Suni, the key accused, Vijeesh, Manikandan, Martin Joseph, Pradeep, Salim and Charley Thomas. Barring Charley Thomas, the accused have been booked on charges of kidnapping, rape, and criminal intimidation under IPC Sections 120 (b), 342, 366, 376, 506 (1), 212 and 341 and also Section 66 E and 67 A of the IT Act. Charley, who provided accommodation to Suni and his accomplice in Coimbatore, was charged with criminal conspiracy.