KOCHI: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sexual assault and abduction of a Malayalam actress has named actor Dileep as the eighth accused, while his co-accused Pulsar Suni aka Sunil Kumar as the first accused in its supplementary chargesheet filed before a lower court in Angamaly, near here on Wednesday.
Civil police officer Anish, who provided his mobile phone to Pulsar Suni to call Dileep while the former was in police custody, and Vipinlal, who helped Suni to contact Dileep from the jail, have also been named as the accused.
The supplementary chargesheet, filed by investigation officer and circle inspector Baiju Paulose has named 14 accused, 385 witnesses and 12 confidential statements. More than 50 witnesses included in the chargesheet are from the film world, said the officers. Dileep's ex-wife Manju Warrier is the 11th witness, according to the charge sheet filed before the Angamaly Judicial First Class Magistrate Court.
According to the chargesheet, Dileep harboured a personal grudge against the victim and he also attempted to have her sidelined from the film world since 2014. Dileep was the principal conspirator and had handpicked Suni to execute his nefarious design. “The victim (in the actor assault case) had purportedly passed on unnecessary details about him and his activities to his then-wife Manju. This is believed to be the motive behind the crime,” said the charge sheet.
Dileep and Suni hatched the conspiracy at room number 410 of Abad Plaza Hotel in Kochi at around 8 pm on a day between March 26, 2013, and April 7, 2013. It coincided with the rehearsal of ‘Mazhavillazhakil Amma’, a mega stage show of AMMA, which had been underway at the hotel during these days. The accused has been charged under Sections 120 (b), 342, 366, 376 (d), 411, 506 (i), 201, 212 and 34 of IPC and 66 (E) and 67 (A) of the IT Act.
Dileep is currently out on conditional bail after spending 85 days in the Aluva Sub-jail for his alleged involvement in the sensational case. He even secured permission from the Kerala High Court to travel to Dubai for a business purpose even as he faces the charges of violating the conditions of his bail arrangement by allegedly trying to influence the witnesses.
The incident took place on February 17 when a gang led by Pulsar Suni allegedly intercepted the actor’s car on National Highway 544 near Parambayam. The victim was en route to Kochi for shooting from Thrissur.
Earlier, the SIT had filed a charge sheet against seven persons, including 'Pulsar’ Suni, the key accused. The charge sheet, which has 315 pages and has testimonials of 165 witnesses, arraigned seven persons including Pulsar Suni, Vijeesh, Manikandan, Martin Joseph, Pradeep, Salim, and Charley Thomas, as the accused in the case. Later Charley Thomas was released on bail.