Malayalam actor Dileep's custody extended till August 8     

Dileep, arrested on July 10, has been charged under various sections of the IPC, including one for hatching a criminal conspiracy for abduction and assault of the actress

Kochi, Jul 25: A Kochi court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of Malayalam actor Dileep, arrested in connection with the alleged abduction and assault on an actress, by two weeks.

The court's decision comes a day after the High Court rejected his bail plea.

The Angamaly first class magistrate court extended the judicial custody of Dileep till August 8 after a hearing through video conferencing. The actor is presently lodged at nearby Aluva sub-jail.

Dileep, arrested on July 10, has been charged under various sections of the IPC, including one for hatching a criminal conspiracy for abduction and assault of the actress in a moving car on February 17.

In their remand application, police had claimed that he had developed a grudge against the actress for letting his former wife know about his alleged affairs and had hatched a conspiracy to take revenge way back in 2013.

The Director General of Prosecution had claimed that the evidence gathered by the investigation agency had established that Dileep was the "kingpin" in the crime.

A "quotation" was given to execute a crime and such a case was reported for the first time in the state, the prosecution had said. The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle and later escaped.

Six persons, including prime accused 'Pulsar' Suni, have so far been arrested in connection with the incident. Yesterday, the High Court had rejected Dileep's bail plea, observing that prima facie there was material to suspect his involvement in the crime.

PTI