Key suspect in attack on actress still at large

Five days after a popular Malayalam movie actress was waylaid and attacked by a gang near Kochi, the key accused in the case, ‘Pulsar’ Sunil and his accomplice V.P. Vijeesh remained at large.

Police have gathered that the two are presently somewhere in Tamil Nadu by interrogating Manikantan, who was part of the gang that attacked the actress. Manikantan was picked up by police, hours after the incident, while he was making his way into Kerala from Coimbatore.

Former driver

As pressure builds on the Left Democratic Front government to bring the culprits to book, police were frantically trying to locate and arrest Sunil and Vijeesh even as theories abound regarding the objective behind waylaying and attacking the actress who was returning to Kochi on Friday after a shoot at Thrissur.

Sunil used to be the actress’ driver before, and Martin, who drove the actress’ car when the waylaying and abduction attempt happened, was recommended to the actress by Sunil.

The incident was given a political twist with Bharatiya Janata Party leader M.T. Ramesh alleging that the accused, Vijeesh had links with the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM).

CPM denial

Commenting on social media, Ramesh said that if ‘quotation gangs’ (gangs that undertake crimes for money) were on stage in the attack on the actress, leading lights from the ruling front were in the background with the script and direction.

CPM Kannur district president P. Jayarajan denied Ramesh’s statement.

In a social media retort to Ramesh, Jayarajan alleged that BJP cadres had been found to be involved in a number of ‘quotation’ and mafia jobs, and that Ramesh was making a statement against the CPM to divert attention from such acts by BJP cadres.