Actor Dileep acquitted in 2017 abduction and assault case by Kochi court

Kochi: The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Monday acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep in the 2017 case involving the abduction and sexual assault of a prominent female actor. The prosecution had alleged that Dileep conspired with and hired a gang to carry out the crime.

The court was delivering its verdict against 10 other accused who continue to face trial in the case, excluding those who were discharged earlier or later turned approvers. The sentence will be delivered on December 12.

All the accused were booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120A and 120B (criminal conspiracy), 109 (abetment), 366 (kidnapping or abducting a woman), 354 and 354B (outraging modesty and use of criminal force to disrobe), 357 (use of criminal force to wrongfully confine), 376D (gang rape), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring an offender) and 34 (common intention), as well as Sections 66E (capturing or transmitting private images without consent) and 67A (electronically transmitting sexually explicit material) of the Information Technology Act.