Ever since the new Kerala DGP Lokanath Behera made the announcement on Monday, July 10 that popular actor Dileep is a suspect in the sensational abduction and sexual molestation of a Malayalam film actress case, the news came as a shock with the sordid affair splitting the film fraternity right down the middle.
Throughout the week, the police in Kerala have been working hard to piece together the evidence they have collected on a plot that was allegedly hatched at a Kochi hotel during rehearsals for AMMA show, almost three years ago. If actor Dileep is key to solving the case, presenting a watertight case will be crucial. The police and state government have come in for flak from different quarters of the society in their handling of the case. Many believe there is an attempt to shelter some of the industry bigwigs mentioned by the main accused, Pulsar Suni.
Actor Dileep claims that the case against him is false but the sleuths think otherwise. So why do the police believe the evidence in their hold this time will be enough to nail the conspirators? What makes the "proofs irrefutable"?
Here we look at the evidences that are in public domain.
- To begin with, actor Dileep's own brash statements and repeated denials could prove to be his undoing. Recall the famous legal phrase: "You have a right to remain silent. Anything you say may be used against you in a court". The contradictions are well documented.
- Secondly, the accused Pulsar Suni who was arrested a week after the incident has repeatedly mentioned that he is being targeted while the 'big sharks' continue to roam free. Could actor Dileep have been one of the 'big sharks' he was alluding to? Only time will tell.
- Other information we are privy to indicate that a memory card with photos of the actress was handed over to a relative of actor Dileep. This bit of information if proven could be crucial.
- Then there are the telephonic conversations of people close to actor Dileep that the police have accessed and also the revelations by Pulsar Suni while in jail.
- In addition to all this, the police have been able to establish through CCTV images that Pulsar Suni was present in some of actor Dileeps' film locations, ruling out his claim that he has never met or known him.
Also read: Actor's bank accounts under lens; ED likely to probe his real estate, theatre business
Initially, Dileep had given the impression that he had nothing to do with what befell the actress. He had even gone ahead to suggest that victim should bear the responsibility as she had brought it upon herself. In all these, his efforts to drum up sympathy seemed to have been working. But that stance has since changed. "I am not scared and will prove my innocence," a defiant actor Dileep said even as he was being taken to Aluva sub-jail after beings sentenced to 14 days of judicial custody. On Wednesday, July 12, the actor appeared before the Angamaly magistrate accompanied by his lawyer Ram Kumar seeking bail. Instead, the police got the custody of him for two days to probe him more on the charges of conspiracy.
The seeds of acrimony, it seems, were sown after a personal and business deal went sour. Pulsar Suni and his gang got into an altercation and as things unfortunately escalated, the actress was shoved into a car and allegedly assaulted before being dumped, in February 2017.
Dileep been charged under nine sections of the Indian Penal Code
Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), Section 376D (gangrape), Section 366 (abduction and wrongful confinement), Section 506 (criminal intimudation), Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), Section 356 (assualt or criminal force in attempt to commit theft of property carried by a person), Section 411 (dishonesty receiving stolen property), Section 212 (harbouring an offender), Section 34 (acts done by several persons furtherance of common intention)
2 others under the Information and Technology Ac -66E (violation of a person's privacy) and 67A (publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material in electronic form
