With a day left for a Kerala court to pronounce the verdict in the Malayalam actor assault case, reports have emerged that the key accused, actor Dileep, had allegedly created a fake WhatsApp group titled ‘Dileepine Pootanam’ to portray himself as someone being framed.
The group, the title of which translates to ‘Lock up Dileep’, also had fake profiles of the actor’s ex-wife and actress Manju Warrier, and investigating official ADGP B Sandhya, who headed the probe team, according to Manorama News.
Police sources believe this was an attempt to establish that there was a concerted effort to establish that he was innocent and was unjustly implicated as a result of a high-level conspiracy.
The plan was to circulate messages within the WhatsApp group that would suggest a conspiracy was underway against him. To lend credibility to this fabricated conspiracy, a fake profile was created in the name of his ex-wife and actress, Manju Warrier, and added to the group. Dileep's objective was to create the impression that high-profile individuals were conspiring against him and then present this WhatsApp group as evidence.
He even presented the group as evidence when the investigators zeroed in on him. This was also aimed at gaining public trust and sympathy when the news broke out. The probe team also revealed that the actor attempted to sabotage the trial by influencing witnesses.
The investigation team has found that Dileep offered a contract of ₹1.5 crore to Pulsar Suni, the main accused in the actress assault case. Reports indicate that the police have obtained clear evidence of the financial transactions that took place between the two.
Dileep had offered Pulsar Suni ₹1.5 crore to abduct the actress and capture her in compromising visuals. However, he had also promised to pay ₹3.5 crore for legal proceedings and other expenses if the matter became a legal case after the task was completed. The police have concluded that Pulsar Suni and his gang carried out the crime based on this agreement.
The investigation team has recovered records showing that Dileep gave Pulsar Suni an advance of ₹1,10,000 in 2015. Furthermore, evidence suggests that ₹30,000 was transferred to Suni through actor and director Nadirshah, one of the key witnesses in the case. These payments are believed to be an advance as part of the contract.
In February 2017, a prominent actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in a vehicle in Kochi by a gang. Actor Dileep was named the eighth accused in the case, charged with criminal conspiracy. However, the prosecution had faced numerous challenges in establishing a direct link between Dileep and Pulsar Suni.
