Kerala businessman Boby Chemmanur, accused of sexual harassment by actress, taken into custody

Honey Rose in a Facebook post accused jewellery chain owner Boby Chemmanur of sexual harassment.

The Kerala Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday took businessman Boby Chemmanur into custody in connection with the sexual harassment case filed against him by Malayalam actor Honey Rose.

Boby Chemmanur was taken into custody from Wayanad. He has been booked under non-bailable sections following Rose's complaint.(Boby Chemmanur's website)

According to a PTI report, Chemmanur was taken into custody from Wayanad. He has been booked under non-bailable sections following Rose's complaint.

In her complaint, Rose accused Chemmanur of making "repeated sexually coloured" remarks against her.

Reacting to the police action, Rose said it was a peaceful day for her.

Who is Honey Rose?

Honey Rose Varghese is a prominent South Indian actor who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry.

She has also acted in Tamil and Telugu films, the recent one being the 2023 action drama flick ‘Veera Simha Reddy’, which featured Nandamuri Balakrishna in the lead role.

Honey Rose's allegations

On Sunday, Rose in a Facebook post accused an individual of stalking her and making sexually inappropriate remarks via media platforms. The 33-year-old actor had not revealed the identity at that time.

However, the issue escalated after several people posted offensive comments on her post, prompting the actor to approach the police. According to a PTI report, the Kochi Central Police registered a case against 30 people and arrested one of them on this complaint.

On Tuesday, Honey Rose wrote a fresh social media post naming influential businessman Boby Chemmannur.

"I have filed a complaint with the Ernakulam Central Police Station against your (Chemmanur) continuous derogatory remarks about me. I will take the same action against your supporters who share the same mentality. You can continue to rely on your wealth, but I have faith in the Indian legal system," she said in her Facebook post.

Who is Boby Chemmanur?

Chemmanur owns a jewellery brand in Kerala and, according to his website, is also the founder of Life Vision Charitable Trust, a philanthropic organisation. His website claims that Boby Chemmanur undertook a record-breaking 812-kilometer marathon in April 2014 from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram to create the “world's largest blood bank.”

Businessman rejects actor's allegations

Boby Chemmanur rejected Honey Rose's charges, claiming he did not use any derogatory terms as alleged by her.

"She attended two of my inauguration events. We danced... I used to tell jokes. She seemed to have no issue with those things. And now she lodged a complaint against me after months," the businessman was quoted by PTI as saying.

(With PTI inputs)