Exactly one year after the incident, the Kerala actor kidnap case—in which superstar Dileep has been named as the eighth accused—will go to trial.
And then comes the question that dominates people's minds—will Dileep walk free or be behind bars?
On February 17, 2017, the abduction took place while the actor was on her way to Kochi from her house in Thrissur.
Her driver allegedly joined hands with a group of 'criminals' led by Pulsar Suni—the prime accused—and drove her through the busy streets of the commercial capital of the state. After two hours, she was dropped near the home of director-actor Lal.
After she informed him about what happened to her, Lal called the police. The driver was first taken into custody. In a few days, the rest of the gang, including Suni, was arrested.
But the twist in the tale came when superstar Dileep was arrested on July 10, 2017, after two rounds of questioning. After spending 85 days in jail, he got conditional bail.
Since then, the police probe team has been busy tying the loose ends in the now high profile case.
The trial court in December accepted the chargesheet that names a total of 12 persons, including Dileep, as accused, while his former wife Manju Warrier is a key witness.
The 650-page charge sheet included secret depositions. Among the list of witnesses, around 50 are from the film industry.
Now, the police is burning the midnight oil to see if they can successfully recover the visuals of the kidnapping and alleged molestation, which is reported to have been filmed by the gang.