Kerala Actress Rape Case: Crime Branch raids house, office of accused actor Dileep

Kerala Crime Branch team on Thursday conducted raids at the house and production company of accused actor Dileep in connection with the abduction and rape case of a popular South Indian actress. The High Court will consider the Malayalam actor's anticipatory bail plea on Friday. The raids were held based on controversial revelations made against him by his long-time associate and director Balachandrakumar Menon.

Ernakulam (Kerala): The Kerala Crime Branch team on Thursday conducted raids at house and office of Grand Production company of Malayalam actor Dileep, a prime accused in the abduction and rape of a popular South Indian actress. Raids were also conducted at the house of his brother Anoop, brother of Dileep.

The raids were the outcome of controversial revelations made against him by his long-time associate and director Balachandrakumar Menon. Following the revelations of Menon, Kerala Police have registered a fresh case, naming actor Dileep as the prime accused.

The officials said, "Three teams of officials were dispatched to carry out the raids simultaneously at the three locations."

The team led by SP Mohana Chandran had to scale the compound wall of the house to gain entry as the gates were locked. The team could not enter the house as it was locked. Later Dileep's sister came to the house and unlocked it for the team to inspect.

The officials said they had taken permission from the court to conduct the raids. The Chief Judicial Magistrate court had recorded the secret statement of Menon on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Kerala government had given an oral undertaking in the court that Dileep will not be arrested till Friday, as his anticipatory bail plea is pending before the High Court. The court will take up the plea on Friday based on the new FIR filed against the actor following the fresh allegations of the director.

Earlier, Balachandrakumar Menon had alleged that actor Dileep, who is an accused in the abduction and rape case, possessed the video clip of the sexual assault on the actor and had even showcased it to his friends at his residence. He had also alleged that the actor had sent the clips to his four friends in London.

The director, who claimed to be an eyewitness to all these and produced audio records of the conversations between the actor and his accomplices, said the gang had even threatened to harm the police officers who acted against them.

The actor and five others have been booked under the Indian Penal Code Sections 116 (abetment), 118 (concealing design to commit offense), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (criminal act done by several people) based on the revelation by the director.

Dileep, his brother Anoop and brother-in-law Sooraj have already approached the court for anticipatory bail.

The victim was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by a gang allegedly arranged by Dileep, on the night of February 17, 2017. The entire act was filmed by some of the accused to blackmail the actress. After the heinous crime, the leader of the gang Pulsar Suni, a driver of several people in the film fraternity, dropped her outside the house of actor-director Lal. Suni and six others were arrested two days after the incident and languishing in jail.

(With Agency Inputs)