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Rape accused actor-producer Vijay Babu returns from Dubai, questioned
Kochi police commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam said Babu will be questioned for two days till the high court takes a final decision on his bail petition on June 2
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Police questioned rape accused actor-producer Vijay Babu as he returned to Thiruvananthapuram from Dubai on Wednesday a day after the high court granted him interim anticipatory bail.
“I have immense faith in the judiciary. I hope I can prove my innocence,” he said upon his arrival 39 days after the police registered two cases against him.
Kochi Police commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam said Babu will be questioned for two days till the high court takes a final decision on his bail petition on June 2. “We have taken strict measures and even had his passport cancelled ... These measures forced him to return to the country. We have strong evidence against him.”
A Malayalam actor, who made her debut in Babu’s film, filed a complaint on April 22 accusing him of sexually abusing her several times by promising good roles and forcing her to take narcotics. Babu left the country via Mumbai airport for the United Arab Emirates and later named the actor on social media, which prompted police to file a fresh case against him.
Babu was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC)’s Sections 376 (sexual assault), 323 (causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) in the first case. Another case was slapped on him for revealing the identity of the complainant under Section 228A.
In a Facebook live, Babu denied the charges and claimed he was in Dubai for some work and not absconding. He said he has known the complainant since 2018 and gave her a chance to act in one of his films. Babu insisted they were not in touch for over a year and that she was upset with him for not giving her good roles. He claimed they had consensual physical relations. Babu, 45, has produced seven films and acted in eight movies over a decade.
