SIT files additional charge sheet against actor Dileep, others

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kerala Police probing the abduction and sexual assault case of a south Indian actress filed a supplementary charge sheet against five persons, including Malayalam actor Dileep.

The SIT submitted the around 1,500-page charge sheet in the judicial magistrate court at nearby Angamaly. It had earlier filed a charge sheet against seven others including prime accused Pulsar Suni.

Dileep, who faces charges including conspiracy, has been named the eighth accused. Four other persons have also been arraigned in the charge sheet, taking the number of accused in the case to 12.

Dileep's former wife and Malayalam actress Manju Warrier, whose statement was recorded by the police in connection with case, is a witness.

The actor was granted bail by the high court on October 3 with stringent conditions, 85 days after his arrest. The court had directed Dileep, arrested on July 10, to surrender his passport, deposit a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh and two solvent sureties for the like amount.

The police have charged Dileep with hatching the conspiracy with other accused to abduct and assault the actress in a moving car and film the act.

In their remand application after the arrest, police had claimed that Dileep developed a grudge against the actress for letting his former wife know about his alleged 'affairs' and had hatched a conspiracy to take revenge way back in 2013.

The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on February 17 night and later escaped in a busy area in Kochi.