Kerala Police File Charge Sheet Against Rapper Vedan in Rape Case

Police have filed charge sheets against rapper Vedan in two cases. One is based on a rape complaint from a woman who was allegedly assaulted under the pretext of a marriage promise. The second case is for being caught with cannabis in his flat.

Kerala Rapper Vedan is facing mounting legal troubles as police have filed charge sheets in allegations of rape by a woman. There are multiple other cases against him, including drug use, and possession of wildlife articles.

Charge Sheet in Rape Case

The Thrikkakara police have formally filed a charge sheet in the rape case involving Vedan, after the complainant’s allegation that she was sexually assaulted under the false promise of marriage. The charge sheet includes the survivor’s statement, testimony from witnesses, and chat records between Vedan and the woman.

The incidents cited occurred between 2021 and 2023, though the young woman only approached Thrikkakara police this past July. For months, Vedan remained in hiding to avoid arrest, until he was granted anticipatory bail by the High Court. It was only after this that police could interrogate him, during which Vedan denied the allegations, claiming that the relationship was consensual.

This is not the only such case against him. The Kochi Central Police had previously registered another sexual assault case after a complaint from a different woman, though the Sessions Court later granted Vedan bail in that matter as well.

Ganja Case in Thrippunithura

Adding to his legal woes, the Hill Palace police yesterday filed a charge sheet in a ganja case dating back to April 28, when officers raided Vedan’s flat in Thrippunithura. The raid revealed a hall filled with smoke and the smell of ganja, with Vedan and his rap group allegedly smoking around a dining table. They were reportedly using ganja rolled in beedis at the time.

Among the items seized were a ganja grinder (crusher), rolling papers, and a weighing scale. Police also recovered 6 grams of ganja, nine and a half lakh rupees in cash, and mobile phones. The FIR notes that the drugs were purchased from an individual named Ashiq in Chalakudy.

In total, nine people were charged, including Vedan. The others named are:

• Vinayak Mohan (Aranmula)
• Vaishnav G. Pillai and his brother Vignesh G. Pillai (Kaimanam, Thiruvananthapuram)
• Jafar (Perinthalmanna)
• Kashyap Bhaskar (Paralikad, Thrissur)
• Vishnu K.V. (North Paravur)
• Vimal C. Roy (Meenadam, Kottayam)
• Hemanth V.S. (Mala)

This charge sheet comes five months after the initial seizure.

Further Charges

After Vedan’s arrest in the cannabis case, another case was also registered against him over possession of a tiger’s tooth, adding a wildlife crime element to his growing criminal record.