Kerala Star Dileep Gets Bail, Told To Watch What He Says In Interviews

Thiruvananthapuram:: After spending nearly three months in jail, Malayalam actor Dileep was freed today. His request for bail had been rejected four times earlier. The 48-year-old has been accused of ordering the abduction and molestation of a woman co-star in February.

Thousands of fans garlanded him as he left prison in the town of Aluva, barely 20 kilometres from Kochi.

Dileep was warned by the Kerala High Court today not to tamper with evidence. In addition to handing over his passport so that he cannot travel abroad, the court warned him not to make any remarks including through TV or newspaper interviews that could be perceived as threats or attempts to intimidate either the actress or witnesses.

In February, a popular actress who cannot be named for legal reasons was traveling in a car in Kochi when she was held captive for nearly two hours in the vehicle; four men allegedly molested her and took photos of the assault on their cellphones.
 Among the six suspects who have been arrested is her former driver, Pulsar Sani, who she had sacked before the ordeal.

In July, the actress did not name Dileep but quoted him as saying that she was friends with Pulsar Sani. She said she was pained by the insinuation that she had in some way invited her ordeal.

The police have said in court that it has evidence that Dileep wanted to exact revenge because he holds the actress responsible for the failure of his first marriage to another actress, Manju Warrier. Investigators say that in 2013, he offered a man Rs 1.5 crore to attack the actress but said he must get a video of the assault along with nude photos.

Following his imprisonment, the release of Dileep's film Ram Leela had been held up several times, but it hit theatres last Friday and is running to packed houses across the state.