The Kerala High Court on Saturday directed Malayalam actor Dileep and four others to appear before the Crime Branch police for interrogation on an alleged conspiracy to kill the police officers who had investigated the case of a sexual assault on a female actor in which he is an accused.
Hearing anticipatory bail pleas filed by Dileep and others, the court passed an interim order allowing the Crime Branch to question the actor and others from 9am to 8pm for the next three days. However, there won’t be any custodial interrogation as the court has barred their arrest till January 27, when it will consider the bail plea again.
Earlier this month, the Crime Branch registered a case against Dileep and five others, including his brother Anoop and brother-in-law Sooraj, alleging they had planned to kill the police officers who had investigated the February 2017 abduction and sexual assault on a female Malayalam actor. The first information report was registered based on the revelation of Dileep’s estranged friend and film director Balachandrakumar that the actor had allegedly hatched a conspiracy to target the police officers.
Quoting Balachandrakumar, the new FIR said: “… 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.”
According to the FIR, Dileep’s brother-in-law Sooraj said, “Tomorrow when Baiju Poulose is going, in the event of a truck or a lorry hitting him… we have to look for Rs1.50 crore….”
The FIR also the conspiracy to target the police officers had taken place at Dileep’s house in Aluva, near Ernakulam, on November 15, 2017, a month after he was released on bail in the sexual assault case. It said Balachandrakumar was witness to the conspiracy.
Vehemently opposing the anticipatory bail pleas saying there was clinching evidence against the actor and the other accused, the prosecution sought their custodial interrogation. Dileep, however, argued the conspiracy case was fabricated. The prosecution was told to submit a report on January 27, based on which the court would take a decision on the next course.
The accused have been booked under Sections 116, 118, 120 (B), 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.