On Monday, Kochi city police arrested actor Vijay Babu for allegedly raping a young actor. He was apprehended when he came for interrogation at Ernakulam South police station. The Kerala High Court granted him anticipatory relief on June 22.
If the police arrested the actor-producer, the court ordered that he be freed on a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh, with two solvent sureties each of the same amount. While granting him anticipatory relief, the Kerala High Court ordered him not to leave the state and to surrender his passport. The team formed to investigate Babu has been granted permission to interrogate him from Monday to July 3 from 9 AM to 6 PM.
After Kochi Police filed a case of sexual assault against him, the actor departed the country and left for Dubai. On June 1, Vijay Babu returned to Kochi. Babu had appeared before the police for interrogation after returning from Dubai, claiming that he had a consensual affair with the woman. He said that the actress turned against him when she was denied roles in his films.
The victim, an actor herself, has accused Vijay of abusing her many times in his Ernakulam home. He allegedly also promised her bigger possibilities in the world of cinema. In a Facebook post, the victim said, “When I was incapable of saying yes or no consciously, he used my body as a tool for his pleasure. He has forced himself on me and even forced me into oral sex in a car against my will. I was in a state of shock, incapable of talking or responding.”
Vijay was also accused of revealing the survivor’s identity when he went live on his Facebook account and exposed the victim’s name. The high court accepted his anticipatory bail request in this matter after determining that the charges against him were bailable.