Strong evidence against MLA Mukesh in Maradu villa sexual assault case; Actor Maniyanpilla Raju also in the dock

KOCHI: Citing strong digital and circumstantial evidence, police filed a chargesheet against actor and MLA M Mukesh in the sexual harassment case. It is mentioned that there is strong evidence to confirm the assault while E-mail messages, WhatsApp chats and circumstantial evidence of Mukesh travelling together with the Aluva native complainant have been recorded. The charge sheet also contains statements of witnesses who saw the two together. The special investigation team filed the chargesheet in the Ernakulam Judicial First Class Court.

The actress demanded that Mukesh resign from his post as MLA, while the opposition also came clamouring for the MLA’s immediate resignation. In August last year, the actress filed a complaint against Mukesh in the 2010 incident in which the MLA allegedly molested her with the promise of a role in his new film. Maradu police registered a case at the end of August. The investigation team was able to collect digital evidence.

Mukesh was arrested in the case and released on bail. With that, the actress came forward ready to withdraw the complaint. The investigation team jumped into action and wheedled her to revert the decision. According to the complainant, she was tortured in a villa in Ernakulam and was made to undergo the same torture in Thrissur too. The charge sheet was filed earlier in the Thrissur case. The new chargesheet was filed on the sexual assault complaint at the Villa in Maradu.

In another case, the SIT filed charge sheets against actor-producer Maniyanpilla Raju on the complaint of the same actress and director Sreekumar Menon on the complaint of a junior artist. A case was registered against Maniyanpilla Raju on the complaint from the actress that he used sexual innuendos and tried to touch her while going from Kuttikanam to a shooting location by car. The incident allegedly took place in 2009 when the actor was leaving the sets of the movie Da Thadiya'.

According to a complaint from a junior artist, Director Sreekumar Menon sexually molested her inside a five-star hotel in Kundanoor when he came for an advertisement shoot.