Kochi: Malayalam actor Dileep on Monday asserted that he was the target of a deliberate effort to implicate him in the 2017 abduction and assault of a South Indian actress, shortly after the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court acquitted him in the case.
Speaking to reporters outside the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, Dileep said certain police officials and a section of the media worked together to frame him, insisting the aim was to ruin his career and public image. He said the campaign against him had been ongoing for years and had caused lasting damage to his personal and professional life.
Dileep also criticised his former wife, actor Manju Warrier, saying the narrative against him began after she suggested there was a larger conspiracy behind the survivor’s assault that needed deeper investigation. Though he did not name anyone directly, he alleged that a senior woman police officer and a select group of officers under her had acted with bias, creating what he called a fabricated story with help from the prime accused, Sunil N S, while he was in jail.
He said these claims were amplified by parts of the media and circulated widely on social media, shaping public perception long before the trial concluded. According to him, the verdict has now exposed what he described as a false narrative built around him.
The court’s decision on Monday brought an end to a long and closely watched trial. While Dileep and three others were acquitted, the court convicted six accused, including prime accused Sunil, also known as Pulsar Suni, who carried out the assault. Judge Honey M Varghese delivered the verdict after completing hearings on November 25.
The case stems from the assault of a popular actress who has worked across Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films. She was abducted on the night of February 17, 2017, near Kochi and assaulted inside her car for nearly two hours before the attackers fled in a crowded area.
Police arrested the assailants soon after the incident and filed the first charge sheet against seven people in April 2017. During subsequent investigations, Dileep was arrested on July 10, 2017, after investigators claimed the prime accused had allegedly sent him a letter from jail.
Dileep, who thanked his family, legal team, and supporters after the verdict, said the judgment had restored his faith in the justice system. He added that the ruling marked the collapse of what he described as years of false accusations that had overshadowed his life and career.
