KOCHI: The Ernakulam principal sessions court on Monday acquitted Actor Dileepin the high-profile 2017 abduction and rape case.The court found six others, including the prime accused Sunil N S, popularly known as Pulsar Suni, guilty for directly committing the crime.The court also acquitted three other persons in the case. The verdict was delivered by Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese, who had concluded the hearing in the prolonged trial on November 25. The 2017 assault on the actress, who has appeared in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films, shook Kerala’s society. She was allegedly abducted in her car for two hours, during which several persons forced their way into the vehicle before escaping in a crowded area. The ten accused who faced trial were Sunil N S alias Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh V P, Salim H, Pradeep, Charly Thomas, actor Dileep (real name P Gopalakrishnan), Sanil Kumar alias Mesthri Sanil, and G Sarath. Police arrested several accused soon after the incident and filed the first chargesheet against seven individuals in April 2017. During the ongoing investigation, Dileep was arrested on July 10, 2017, after authorities alleged that Suni had sent him a letter from jail. He was later granted bail on October 3, 2017.The actress-victim, who has appeared in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films, was abducted and allegedly molested in her car for two hours on the night of February 17, 2017, while traveling from Thrissur to Kochi.
