News

2017 Kerala actor abduction case: Pulsar Sunis jail letter pulls Dileep into shadow of conspiracy

KOCHI: In the days following the horrific assault inside a moving SUV in Kochi, Malayalam film industry insiders joined hands in grief and outrage. Among them was actor Dileep, who publicly expressed solidarity and vowed to support his colleagues pursuit of justice. But within months, that atmosphere of empathy would be overshadowed by a startling turn of events. A letter smuggled out of jail, beginning with the desperate plea, I need money, now triggered a chain of revelations that would eventually place Dileep in the shadow of suspicion. Penned by N S Sunil aka Pulsar Suni, the prime accused, and passed on through fellow inmates, the letter hinted at a prior connection and agreement between the two. Each new piece of evidence tightened the noose around Dileep, leading to his arrest on July 10, 2017 a development that stunned the public and shook the film fraternity. ...ever since I got involved... it feels like my life itself has come to an end, the letter further said. On June 3, the survivor issued a statement to the police, implicating Dileep for nurturing deep enmity towards her since 2012. He had been telling everyone that it was the survivor who had ruined his marriage to Manju Warrier. According to police records, Dileep told the survivor in a threatening tone that no one who stood against him in the industry had ever succeeded. As it turned out, Dileeps letter dated May 1, 2017 to the state police chief also rebounded on him. While objecting to Dileeps bail plea, the investigation team filed a report stating that his complaint to the DGP said that his friend, actor-director Nadirshah, received a phone call from a person claiming to be the friend of Suni. This was besides a letter that had been received on his drivers WhatsApp. Both the phone call and letter sought to extort money from Dileep, by threatening to implicate him in the case if he does not pony up. The investigation revealed that Suni had managed to get hold of a mobile phone and SIM card, through accused Vishnu, who was a fellow prisoner in Kakkanad district jail, which were used to make calls to Dileeps associates. It also came to light that the SIM card was stolen from Coimbatore. And, according to the confession of accused Sanal alias Mesthiri Sanal, the phone and SIM card were recovered from his house in Pathanamthitta. The probe further said the letter was originally written by accused Vipinlal in jail and handed over to Vishnu to be passed on to Dileep. The police report objecting to the bail plea of Dileep further said that when questioned in jail, Suni confessed to having entered into a criminal conspiracy with Dileep at their meeting in room 410 of Kochis Abad Plaza Hotel in March-April of 2016. They were both in the city in connection with the rehearsal for a stage show. This was confirmed using witness statements and hotel bills. The room was booked in the name of Dileep for the period from March 26 to April 7. There was a quarrel between Dileep and the victim over the latter having informed on him to Manju. This happened during the rehearsal in the presence of other members of the movie industry, the report stated. Police records stated that Suni confessed to having hatched the plot with Dileep at various shooting locations. The investigation into his statement revealed that the two had met at the Kinattingal Tennis Club in Thrissur, CIFT Junction on Willingdon Island, Ernakulam, and Thodupuzha Santhigiri College in connection with the shooting for the film Georgettans Pooram. Dileep argued that the case against him was the result of a deep-rooted conspiracy, and that it was without any basis. (to be continued) 2017 Kerala actor abduction case: No more, no less... only the truth