Kochi: The prime accused in the abduction and assault of a popular Malayali actress, ‘Pulsar’ Suni and his accomplice VP Vijeesh, were taken into custody as they entered a local court building to surrender on Thursday in Ernakulam, six days after the incident created a nationwide outrage.
“We have taken them into custody. We had deployed our men in the city. They managed to get them,” Ernakulam Range I G P Vijayan told PTI.
Advocates of the accused made a vain bid to prevent police from entering the building and taking them into custody. They were later taken to Aluva police club for questioning.
The lawyers charged the police with forcefully taking their clients into custody from the court room itself.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan praised the police. Vijayan, whose government had been facing flak over the delay in nabbing the accused, said, “I congratulate the police. It is a commendable achievement.”
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader in Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala said the manner in which the accused were taken into custody from the courtroom was “improper”.
Police had been not been vigilant enough and this had created concern, Chennithala told reporters here. “There has been lapse on the part of police and this should not happen in the further investigation of the case,” the Congress leader, who was Home Minister in the previous Oommen Chandy government, said.
The incident took place last Friday night when the actress was travelling to Kochi from her house in Thrissur. Pulsar Suni is accused of masterminding the attack along with his associates.
Suni’s gang followed her in a tempo traveller and hit her vehicle from behind when it reached Athani near Nedumbassery.
The gang members forcefully entered her car and assaulted her inside the moving vehicle over the next three hours. They clicked her semi-nude pictures and recorded videos as the car was driven around Kochi. Finally, the attackers left her in the car near Padamughal and escaped in the tempo that was trailing behind.
The Kerala police, that had been investigating the assault and molestation of the actress, had taken a person into custody on Wednesday from a flat that is believed to belong to a young actor-director from the industry.
The detainee is believed to have been one of the gang members, who attacked the actress in a moving car in Kochi. If the detainee is affirmed to be linked to the case, the Police will arrest the owner of the flat.
The development has put more suspicion on the Malayalam film industries involvement in the crime, since the Police have also found out that a person from the actress’ film unit had leaked her itinerary to the goons.
A prominent Mollywood actor had also been interrogated by the police in association with the case. Four people from the actress’ latest film unit are reportedly under the Police’s scanner.
-PTI