Kerala actor booked for ‘plan to kill’ officer probing sexual assault case

The crime branch of Kerala Police on Sunday registered a new case against Malayalam actor Dileep after allegations that he had planned to kill the officers who had probed him over the sexual assault and abduction of an actress in 2017.

Five others, including Dileep’s brother Anoop and his brother-in-law Suraj, have also been named in the new FIR, which follows film director Balachandrakumar’s deposition before the police that the actor had conspired to “annihilate the investigating officer and his team members”.

Dileep is one of the accused in the sensational sexual assault case being heard in a special court in Kochi. The case is in its final stages.

Quoting Balachandrakumar, the new FIR says: “… pointing his fingers at the visuals of A V George (then Kochi city police commissioner), Dileep said you five officials are going to suffer… Sojan, Sudarasan, Sandhya, Baiju Poulose, then you. The hand of Sudarasan, who manhandled me, should be chopped off.”

The FIR further states: “Dileep’s brother-in-law Suraj said tomorrow when Baiju Poulose is going, in the event of a truck or a lorry hitting him… we have to look for Rs 1.50 crore…’’

The FIR states the conspiracy to target the police officials took place at Dileep’s house in Aluva, Ernakulam on November 15, 2017, a month after he was released on bail in the sexual assault case. Balachandrakumar, it said, had directly witnessed the conspiracy.

The accused have been booked under sections 116, 118, 120 (B), 506 and 34 of the IPC, the FIR states.

Balachandrakumar, in an interview to a TV channel two weeks ago, had also alleged that Dileep had access to and had watched at home visuals of the sexual assault on the actress even before it was produced in court. He alleged that Dileep had close relations with the prime accused in the case, Sunil Kumar alias Pulsor Suni, who had worked as a driver in the film industry. Subsequently, audio clips purportedly attributed to Dileep had come out in media, in which the actor was heard conspiring against the officials.

Following the disclosures, the trial court had last week ordered the police to submit a report on January 20. The court, however, rejected the prosecution’s plea for permission to summon a few witnesses for re-examination.

The prosecution then moved the High Court. However, on Friday, a single bench of Justice Kausar Edappagath upheld the trial court’s decision, asking how the director’s revelations would help the trial of the assault-abduction case. The bench observed there should be a valid reason for re-examination of witnesses.

The prosecution has been on a collision course with the trial court several times in the past. Alleging hostile attitude of the court, special prosecutor V N Anil Kumar once walked out of the court in a huff and tendered his resignation. Kumar had assumed office as special prosecutor in 2020 after the then incumbent A Sureshan quit alleging the trial court was “biased and hostile.’’

Meanwhile, the prosecution has also approached the Supreme Court seeking more time for the trial of the case. The Apex court in July last year had ordered that the trial should be completed by mid February, 2022.