Actor Dileep booked for allegedly ‘planning to kill’ officers probing sexual assault case

In the latest development in the 2017 Malayalam actress abduction case, the Kerala Police Crime Branch on Sunday registered another case against accused actor Dileep and five others for allegedly conspiring an attack on the investigating officers. This comes after director Balachandra Kumar made explosive revelations through media about Dileep in connection with the actress' sexual assault case.

Dileep was booked after Balachandra Kumar shared a purported audio clip of the actor conspiring to “annihilate the investigating officer and his team members”.

The FIR shockingly states, “Dileep, while pointing his fingers at the visuals of AV George (then Kochi city police commissioner), said 'you five officials are going to suffer… Sojan, Sudarasan, Sandhya, Baiju Poulose, then you (George). The hand of Sudarasan, who manhandled me, should be chopped off.”

Based on the complaint, the Kerala Crime Branch has booked Dileep and his alleged associates under IPC Sections116 (abetment), 118 (concealing design to commit offense), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (criminal act done by several people).

Five people, including actor Dileep, two of his relatives, and two others were named in the FIR, while the sixth accused has been mentioned as an "identifiable person". The case against Dileep and others comes at a time when the trial in the assault case is progressing in a special court in Kochi. 

Malayalam actress abduction and assault case

A popular actress, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films -- was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by four men, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017, and later escaped in a busy area. The entire act was filmed by some of the accused to blackmail the actress. Malayalam actor Dileep was accused of plotting the abduction and sexual assault due to alleged personal enmity with the actress.

Reports claim that Dileep had allegedly paid men to abduct and assault the actor, and even ordered them to take videos of the assault, to exact revenge on her. 

Dileep was arrested in July 2017 and released two months later on bail. There are 10 accused in the case and initially, police arrested seven people over the course of five years. Several of the actors like Bindu Panicker, Siddique, and Bhama, who were examined by the court in the trial, had turned hostile in the case. On January 5, the Kerala government approached the Supreme Court seeking an extension of six months.