Court extends remand of two accused in actress assault case

A Kerala court today extended the judicial remand of two persons arrested for their alleged roles in the abduction and assault of a prominent Malayalam actress.

An Angamaly magisterial court extended till July 18 the judicial custody of key accused 'Pulsar' Suni and his accomplice Vijeesh after they were produced in the court amid tight security following the expiry of their 14-day remand.

Meanwhile, Suni's counsel B A Aloor said he had no plan to seek bail for his client, who, he said, was facing threat.

There was heavy police presence in the court premises as the media jostled to speak to the accused.
 

When Suni was asked if there was any conspiracy angle in the case as the name of well-known actor Dileep was being mentioned, he said, "Sharks have to be netted in the case."

The police had last week questioned Dileep and his director friend Nadir Shah for nearly 13 hours in connection with the case.

The accused also told the court that he had allegedly been assaulted by the police while in custody.

Additional Director General of Police B Sandhya, heading the investigation team in the case, said police was probing the conspiracy angle.

"We cannot give a time frame. The investigation is going on smoothly", she told television channels.

Officers of the Special Investigating Team had a meeting this evening at the Aluva police club to review the progress in investigation.

The police officials have also seized CCTV visuals of Suni speaking to someone from inside his cell in Kakkanad jail.

Meanwhile, Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma said the investigation was moving in the right direction.

"Wait for one or two days. Investigation is going on the right track. As far as the government was concerned, we want justice for the victim," she said.

The actress, who has also worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on February 17 and later escaped in a busy area in Kochi.