R. Sreelekha, a retired ranking officer who is also a YouTuber, has questioned the integrity of the prosecution's charge against actor Dileep in the high-profile actor abduction and rape case.
Ms. Sreelekha, a former Director General of Police (DGP) and the first woman IPS officer in the Kerala cadre, expressed scepticism over the factuality of charges slapped on Dileep.
Notably, Ms. Sreelekha was not involved in the investigation of the case. But she was DGP, Prisons, when Dileep was in judicial custody for nearly 90 days and had admitted that she had met him in jail.
Her contentious observation came as the trial in the case was meandering to a finality. Moreover, the Crime Branch was also investigating Dileep for alleged tampering with evidence and swaying prosecution witnesses.
Ms. Sreelekha alleged that the prosecution case that ostensibly showed that Dileep had contracted Pulsar Suni, a hanger-on at film production sets and prime accused in the rape case, to harm the survivor and record her maltreatment on a mobile phone for blackmail, was highly suspect. She alleged that the accused in the case had a criminal background and was into harassing and blackmailing actors into extorting money.
She also expressed disbelief at the prosecution's claim that one of the accused had written a letter to Dileep in jail seeking patronage and suggesting that he had done the offence at the behest of the actor. Ms. Sreelekha postulated that perhaps the police could have convinced a fellow remand prisoner to write the letter to strengthen their case against Dileep and might have provided the inmate with stationery. The retired officer claimed that the purported letter, like other incriminating evidence, was fabricated as an afterthought to trap Dileep.
Ms. Sreelekha claimed that the prosecution's charge that Dileep and Pulsar Suni were in the exact location on a particular day proved nothing. Moreover, she alleged that the photo showing Pulsar Suni with Dileep was fabricated. Ms. Sreelekha posited that Dileep could be a victim of trial by the media.
