Malayalam actress assault: No relief for Dileep; loses bail petition

Kochi: Dileep's hopes for relief in the actress kidnap case was shattered on Saturday when Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Angamaly, denied him bail. The court sent the superstar back to judicial custody till July 25. The court dismissed his plea after the prosecution heavily objected to it stating that there were chances of him influencing witnesses including Pratheesh Chacko, former counsel of Pulsar Suni, and Appunni, his aide. Sources said he would move the High Court on Monday, though a final decision was not taken.

The prosecution contended that if he were released, it would hinder the investigation and he is an influential person. Police also cited the support the actor was garnering on social media and reiterated that it had enough evidence to prove the conspiracy, and the investigation was not over. They suspected either Mr Chacko or any of Pulsar Suni's aide had handed over the visuals to Dileep. Dileep's counsel rubbished the contentions.

The magistrate sought Dileep's response on the behaviour of cops while he was in custody. He smiled and said he had no issues. Meanwhile, Dileep's counsel submitted two mobile phones he was using and wanted them to be sent for forensic analysis before the police could tamper with it. The cops were forced to bring the actor back to the court after they failed to unlock them.