Dileep innocent, Nadir Shah tells cops; claims to be target of 'lies'

Aluva (Kerala): Malayalam actor-director Nadir Shah was questioned by Kerala Police, on 17 September, for over four hours in the Malayalam actress abduction case before being allowed to go.

He had appeared before the police probe team on 15 September, but after a while, fell sick. Following the advice of a medical team, police had stopped the questioning and let him go.

Shah reached the Aluva Police Club at 10 am and underwent a medical check up before the questioning began.

Emerging at 3 pm, Shah told the waiting media that it was on the direction of police that he decided to seek medical advice after he fell sick on 15 September, but said that he wanted it to go on as he wanted to clear his name.

“There was a media hype against me and lots of lies are being spread against me, so more than anyone else, it’s my need that I come clean… I answered all the questions that were put up to me and police were friendly towards me,” said Shah. He also maintained that superstar Dileep, arrested for alleged involvement in the conspiracy behind the abduction, is innocent.

The police probe team will now submit the details of the questioning to the Kerala High Court on 18 September as Shah’s anticipatory bail plea is before it.

The high court last week directed the police probe team not to arrest Shah till 18 September, but asked him to appear before the police probe team.

17 September was the second time that Shah was questioned at length. In June, he and Dileep first appeared for questioning and were allowed to go after a marathon 13-hour-long session.

But on 10 July, Dileep was arrested after further questioning and since then he has been in the Aluva sub-jail as three of his bail pleas were turned down.

Monday, 18 September, will be a crucial day in the case, as Shah’s anticipatory bail is posted for hearing as is Dileep’s wife and actress Kavya Madhavan, while the trial court will pronounce its verdict on Dileep’s fourth bail plea.

The abduction took place in February, when the actress was on her way from Thrissur to Kochi.

She was taken around in her vehicle forcefully for about two hours before being dumped near actor-director Lal’s home, from where police was informed.

The key accused — Pulsar Suni and his accomplices involved in the actual abduction — were arrested a week later and following detailed questioning, police unearthed an alleged conspiracy angle in the abduction and arrested Dileep.