Malyalam actress sexual harassment: Dileep questioned for 12 hours

A renowned Malayalam actress was kidnapped and molested in Kochi in February. Now, police are questioning south superstar Dileep and actor-director Nadir Shah in connection to the case. Dileep and Nadir, who arrived at the Aluva Police Club on Wednesday noon, left the place only after 1 am on Thursday.

"We gave detailed statements on my complaint to the police and I am happy at the way the police is going forward in the case," Dileep told reporters after the 'questioning' ended and he emerged out of the club along with Shah and his manager Appunni.

The police, besides taking his statement in the blackmailing case that he has filed against the close aides of prime accused Pulsar Suni in the actress kidnap case, also delved into his not so good relations with the actress and his business interests, especially dealings in real estate in and outside Kerala.

The police will now see if there are any shortcomings in the statements of Dileep, Shah and Appunni and also if Dileep and Suni had any links in the past, which has been denied strongly by the actor.

Earlier, before leaving his home near here for the police station, Dileep told the media not to "twist" matters. "My only request to all of you is not to twist things... I will no longer be game to any sort of media trial."

Shah and Dileep together drove into the club where Additional Director General of Police B. Sandhya was waiting to take their statement.

In the past few days, the case has taken several twists and turns.On Sunday, the police arrested two persons for blackmailing Dileep and Shah.

One of the two is Vishnu, who is alleged to have threatened Dileep and Shah to cough up Rs 1.50 crore or else he would "reveal" their role in the kidnap conspiracy. Vishnu told them there were others in the film industry who have offered him Rs 2 crore for naming Dileep in the case.

Last week, Shah told reporters that in March he got a call from Vishnu, who asked him to tell Dileep to cough up Rs 1.50 crore.

Dileep had filed a petition against this in April and it was on this case that he was called for questioning.

Dileep had come under fire after he alleged that the actress and her abductor Pulsar Suni were friends. On Tuesday, the actress said she was pained by this remark.

As the marathon questioning was going on on Wednesday, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), the body of the actors in the Malayalam film industry, was holding its executive meeting here, preparing the agenda of its annual general body meeting to be held on Thursday.

Dileep is the treasurer of AMMA. Speculation was rife that Remya Nambisan, a close friend of the kidnapped actress, would raise the kidnapping issue in the meeting. But she could not attend the meeting as she is out of the state.

After the meeting ended late in the night, AMMA secretary Edavela Babu said if the issue comes up it will be discussed at Thursday's AGM.

Now all eyes are on the newly-formed body of the women in the film industry which is led by Dileep's former wife Manju Warrier, who appears to be unhappy at the manner in which AMMA has been maintaining a stoic silence on the kidnapping issue. Manju is unlikely to take part in Thursday's meeting.

The hugely popular young actress was kidnapped on February 17 while she was travelling from Thrissur to Kochi by road but later dumped near the house of director-turned-actor Lal, who upon hearing her harrowing experience, informed police. She is alleged to have been molested enroute. 

(With IANS Inputs)

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