KOCHI: The Ernakulam principal sessions court acquitted actor Dileep in the sensational 2017 abduction and rape case on Monday. Dileep was accused of conspiring and hiring a gang to execute the crime. However, the court found the gang led by Sunil NS alias Pulsar Suni that abducted and raped the actor, guilty. Speaking to reporters, Dileep said, “First and foremost, I thank the Almighty. Truth has won. There is a criminal conspiracy in this case. The conspiracy against me began the moment, when Manju (Manju Warrier) stated that the criminal conspiracy behind the incident must be investigated. A senior officer at that time, along with a team of criminal-minded police personnel chosen by him, orchestrated this action against me.“
“For this purpose, they supported the main accused in the case and the co-accused who were lodged in prison with him, and together this police team created a fabricated story. Then, with the help of certain media organisations and a few journalists who were ready to support them, this fabricated narrative was widely circulated through social media. Today, in court, this fake story created by that police team has collapsed. The real conspiracy in this case was to make me the accused, to destroy my career, my image, and my life in society,” he added.District and sessions judge Honey M Varghese pronounced the judgment at 11 am on Monday. The court will conduct hearing on quantum of punishment on December 12.The popular actor was abducted and assaulted in Kochi on Feb 17, 2017, when she was travelling from Thrissur to Kochi. The prosecution’s case was that the gang hijacked the survivor’s vehicle. Accused Martin Antony was entrusted with picking up the survivor from her house, and he informed Suni of her location throughout the journey. Suni and others started following the vehicle from Angamaly and faked an accident at Athani at 9.15pm. The accused then entered the vehicle and wrongfully confined her. Suni threatened the survivor, sexually assaulted her and recorded obscene videos, including the visuals of the sexual assault, on a mobile phone.In November 2017, police relied on circumstantial evidence to submit a second charge sheet that actor Dileep conspired with Suni. However, the court found that the prosecution failed to prove this charge.The trial in the case began on March 8, 2018. Over the years, it saw 261 witnesses, including prominent film actors, being examined in camera, with 28 of them turning hostile. Two prosecutors resigned over the years, and the survivor unsuccessfully moved higher courts seeking to change the presiding officer. Ultimately, the prosecution submitted 833 documents and 142 pieces of evidence, while the defence submitted 221 documents. The witness examination alone took 438 days.
