Thiruvananthapuram: The investigation into the abduction and sexual assault of an actress near Angamaly in February is in a crucial stage, said Kerala police chief Lokanath Behera. The director general of police said that he could not comment anything on the case or the accused but the police would make a statement at the appropriate time.
The investigating team arrested popular actor Dileep on Monday for plotting the audacious attack on February 17. The actor-produced is accused of hiring a gang of goons to assault the actress and videotape it.
Dileep’s counsel and family claimed that the actor had been framed in the case. His bail application was rejected by a magistrate’s court at Angamaly on Saturday.
The police have told the court that they were ready to hand over the case diary in a sealed cover to convince the court about the seriousness of the crime and the strength of evidence against the accused.
Dileep has been named as the second accused in the case. The first accused, Sunil Kumar aka ‘Pulsar’ Suni, was arrested a week after he waylaid the actress on a highway and barged into her car along with his accomplices.
Suni’s attempts to contact Dileep from the prison gave the police strong leads to link the actor to the case. Dileep faces serious charges including criminal conspiracy and gang rape.
Dileep’s arrest followed Behera’s comments that the investigation was on the right track. His predecessor T P Senkumar, who retired last month, had pulled up the team for interrogating Dileep and director Nadirshah for 13 hours at the Aluva police club.
Behera said on Saturday that the crime branch was investigating a complaint against Senkumar that the former officer made disparaging comments against minorities.
