Indian Actor Accused in Sexual Assault Case Opens Restaurant in Dubai

Malayalam film actor Dileep, who is under trial for alleged involvement in a sexual assault case on an Indian film actress, opened his restaurant in Dubai earlier this week. The actor reached the UAE city after seeking special permission from the Kerala High Court.

A crowd of fans thronged at the restaurant to catch a glimpse of the actor, Khaleej Times reported. The restaurant, called Dhe Puttu, which is located in Dubai’s Karama area, was inaugurated by the mothers of his business partners. Dileep co-owns the restaurant with Nadirshah, who is also involved in the sexual assault case. The prime accused, ‘Pulsar’ Suni, told the police that he received Rs 25,000 from Nadirshah’s manager.

Dileep’s fans in Dubai, who attended the restaurant’s opening, are unfazed by the controversies around him, the publication reported. It quoted a resident of Karama, Ram Mohan, as saying: “Despite all the controversies, he’s still here. But the case has got nothing to do with my visit here.” Another traveled from Al Nahda to Karama — around 10 km –to see the actor. Ajin Mathew Joseph said, “The issues Dileep is involved in has nothing to do with the restaurant, because it is employing a lot of people.”

Dileep was granted bail in October after being in jail since July 2017. He wrote to the Kerala Home Secretary, seeking a CBI probe in the abduction and assault case. He accused Kerala police officials, DGP Loknath Behra and ADGP B. Sandhya, of wrongfully implicating him. A phone used to record the sexual assault was still missing and the prosecution said that the actor would destroy the evidence if released.

Nadirshah appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in September 2017 in relation with the case. The incident took place in February 2017. The actress was abducted and assaulted in a moving vehicle while on her way to Kochi. Many people were accused for the incident and Malayalam film star Dileep was made the 8th accused instead of prime accused. He argued that the investigation was complete while seeking bail and that many people’s livelihoods were affected if he didn’t complete the projects he was shooting when he was arrested.