Morphing row: Residents see bid to save studio owners

Kozhikode: The statements of the Kozhikode rural police chief that the main accused in the studio morphing row downloaded pictures from the victims’ Facebook account, leaves many questions unanswered. There are also victims who do not have a Facebook account. Locals allege that the police is trying to help the studio owners, who have a strong link with the CPM. Rural SP MK Pushkaran on Wednesday told the media that the first accused and former video editor of Sadayam Shoot and Edit studio in Vadakara, Bibeesh Kaivelikkal, used to download photographs of women from Facebook before morphing and sending them as a message from a fake ID.

Bibeesh was arrested by police from Idukki on Wednesday.  The other two accused, studio owner Dinsan Cherottu Meethal and his brother Satheesan have already been arrested for facilitating the morphing. There was public outrage and a march to the CI office on Tuesday alleging laxity by police in arresting the accused even after confiscating a hard disc, where he copied the photographs and video clippings of women, mostly shot during functions like marriages and receptions.

“Members of the Janakeeya Samithi checked the hard disc and identified five women from Vaikkilasseri. Of these, one does not even have a Facebook account. Five pictures of each of these women were kept in different folders. It is unbelievable that the man morphed only five pictures in the last two years. The police is trying to free the owners of the studio, by putting the blame only on the video editor,” said the husband of one of the victims. The locals allege that the studio owners were aware of Bibeesh morphing the video clippings, and they encouraged it till he broke away.  The victims allege a conspiracy between the police and the CPM for the delayed arrest of the owners of the Sadayam studio, from Malolmukku, because their father is a branch committee member of the party.