Kochi: The prime accused in the kidnapping of a popular Malayalam film actress on Friday night spoke to six prominent persons, including a leading film producer, from the industry, his phone records of that night show.
The phone records recovered by the police show that Pulsar Sunil, who planned the kidnap, received a call from a leading film producer late on Friday night. The phone number he received the call from has been switched off since then.
The popular actress, who was on her way from Thrissur to Kochi on Friday night, was abducted by a gang of six persons, who reportedly took pictures of her to blackmail her. They released her a short while later. The actress's driver Martin was arrested on the same night, while two others were arrested in Coimbatore.
"We have already identified the rest of the gang members and the probe is on. We will inform you at the appropriate time," Inspector-General of Police P Vijayan, who is leading the probe team, told reporters here.
According to Sunil's sister, he doesn't share good relations with his family since he turned 17. "The last time he came was a few months ago and he called me on Friday also. He was working as a driver for people in the film industry," she said.
By now leading superstars Mammootty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi — also a Rajya Sabha member of the BJP — have condemned the incident and have expressed their moral support to the actress.
Former President of the BJP's state unit V Muraleedharan said: "There are reports that the actress had suffered after she had differences of opinion with a leading film star. And now with the police saying that this was planned by a professional gang, the police is duty-bound to conduct a fair probe."
Leading lights of the film fraternity met at Kochi yesterday and expressed their moral support to the actress. In a Facebook post, actor Prithviraj wrote: "I was supposed to start work with her in a week, and she told me that she'd not like to come back in front of the camera so soon... and so is pulling out of the film. I know this girl. I know how brave she is. If it's affected her enough to make her stay away from what she loves the most, I can only imagine how harrowing it must have been."
Actor Dulquer Salmaan, son of superstar Mammootty wrote on Facebook: "I was hesitant to speak out about this incident yesterday out of respect for the victim of this travesty... It's something that sickens and frightens my core."
Actor-turned-CPI-M legislator Mukesh said the driver, who is the prime accused in the case, was his driver for a while. But he never knew that he had such a criminal mind.
Actress Manju Warrier wrote on her Facebook page that she, along with a few others, was with the actress. "Her face showed the grit and determination that she put up and faced the ordeal. This has happened before and the need of the hour is not to end such attacks by writing and expressing our concern... instead a struggle should be launched to end this once and for all and I will be in the forefront of it," says Warrier.
