The police have interrogated some suspects in the Hi-Lite Mall incident in which two female actors complained of sexual assault while returning after a promotional event.
Though the police quizzed one of them for hours based on CCTV grab on Thursday, he was found to have no involvement in the incident.
Officers associated with the probe said they were yet to confirm the involvement of anyone based on the CCTV visuals. Since it happened in the middle of a crowd, it would take time to identify the suspects, they said.
As part of the probe, the police on Wednesday recorded the statements of the two actors who complained of sexual assault on Tuesday night. Deputy Commissioner of Police A. Sreenivas and Assistant Commissioner A.M. Siddique said all efforts were being made to nab the culprits at the earliest.
Meanwhile, some visitors to the mall said that security arrangements at the venue of the promotional event were not up to the mark. They also claimed that the organisers had failed to manage the crowd. Some police officers too underscored their claim saying that there had been several instances of poorly organised celebrity events leading to law-and-order issues. They said they were not intimated of the arrival of celebrity guests at the venue. They also cited the poor traffic management near the mall.
Meanwhile, support poured in for the two actors for their decision to fight the case and expose the culprits.
At the same time, a war of words erupted on the virtual space when some commentators tried to put Kozhikode district in bad light with derogatory comments on sexual assaults in the wake of the incident. Police sources said action would be initiated against those who publicly dragged the names of the actors to such remarks.
