Kerala HC denies bail to actor Dileep in abduction case

The Kerala High Court today rejected the bail plea of popular Malayalam actor Dileep, arrested for allegedly plotting the February 17 abduction and assault of a popular South Indian actress here.

Dismissing the bail application of the actor, Justice Sunil Thomas said the investigation in the case is progressing and the mobile phone, stated by the prosecution as a key evidence in the case, has not been recovered.

The investigation against the accused is into the conspiracy behind the case and it cannot be proved by direct evidence, the court observed.

The accused is influential and is likely to tamper with the evidence if bail is granted at this stage, the court said.

The actor, arrested on July 10, moved the high court for bail after an Angamaly magisterial court refused to grant him the relief and sent him to judicial custody till July 25.

The High Court had reserved its orders on his bail plea in the case, on July 20.

Dileep, charged under various sections of the IPC, including for hatching criminal conspiracy for abduction and assault of the actress in a moving car on February 17, is currently lodged in a jail in his home town Aluva.

The police have claimed that the conspiracy to abduct and assault the actress and film the act was hatched by Dileep and Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the case.

In their remand application, they had also claimed that Dileep had 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 and later escaped in a busy area here.

Six persons, including  'Pulsar' Suni, have been arrested in connection with the incident so far.