Dileep's wife Kavya & brother knew about the crime, says filmmaker

Malayalam actor Dileep, who is an accused in the abduction and molestation of a leading Kerala actress in Kochi in February 2017, seems to be in more trouble, as filmmaker P Balchandrakumar has dropped another bombshell to Crime Branch officials probing the case.

Balachandrakumar has accused the actor of conspiring to attack the police investigation officers and trying to influence witnesses in the 2017 actress assault case, which eventually led to Dileep being booked under a slew of new IPC sections. But on Wednesday (January 12), Balachandrakumar told Crime Branch officials probing the case that Dileep’s wife, Kavya Madhavan, and his brother Anoop knew of the heinous crime against the actress as well.

Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the molestation of the Malayalam actress, which was also filmed to blackmail her later, had admitted after his arrest that he was paid by actor Dileep to kidnap and assault the actress. Dileep, who was arrested in July 2017 in connection with the case and later released, is accused number eight in the case.

Balachandrakumar who gave his statement to the Crime Branch officials has revealed that he has shared 20 pieces of digital evidence to support his claims. His statements were to be recorded in front of the Ernakulum judicial first-class magistrate on Wednesday.

Also read: Withdraw magazine with actor Dileep on cover, demands petition

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has registered a case against Dileep and five others for threatening investigation officers, after an audio clip was released by a TV channel recently in which the actor was heard plotting to harm them.

In his interaction with the media after giving his statement to Crime Branch officials, Balachandrakumar said that Dileep was “properly planning” the attack on the investigation officers. It was not an emotional outburst, he said.

Also, the filmmaker had digital evidences to prove that Dileep had influenced the witnesses. Dileep and five others have been booked under section 116 (abetment), 118 (concealing design to commit offence), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 506 criminal intimidation and 34 (criminal act done by several people. However, the police cannot arrest Dileep since his plea for anticipatory bail will come up for hearing in the Kerala High Court on January 14.

On Tuesday, women filmmakers and activists, including Aparna Sen and writer Githa Hariharan, had petitioned the Kerala government demanding that the special court trial hearing the molestation case of the Kerala actress to be concluded soon and to implement the reforms suggested by the Justice Hema Commission. The Hema Commission was set up by the Kerala government to study the issues of gender disparity, security and sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry.