Thiruvananthapuram: The search for absconding Malayalam cinema actor Vijay Babu has intensified after an arrest warrant was issued in connection with a sexual harassment case. Vijay Babu was accused of abusing and sexually exploiting an actress in the Malayalam film business.
According to Malayalam Manorama, a municipal court in Ernakulam has issued an arrest warrant against the accused as a preliminary to issuing a Red Corner Notice (RCN).
A Red Corner Notice is a document issued by a country’s law enforcement to request the arrest or provisional detention of wanted offenders with the goal of extraditing them to their home country to face charges.
Following the issuance of the arrest warrant, images of actor-turned-producer Vijay Babu, as well as case facts in which he is accused, will be posted on the Interpol website in the following days.
Dubai Police would be able to legally hold the actor and extradite him to India once a Red Corner Notice is issued.
According to Malayalam Manorama, the police are not ruling out the possibility of Vijay Babu crossing into another nation that does not have an agreement with India for the handover of criminal suspects.
On April 22, the victim in the case filed a lawsuit against actor Vijay Babu, alleging that he abused her and sexually exploited her between March 13 and April 14, 2022.
Vijay Babu allegedly tormented the woman multiple times in his residence in Ernakulam, promising her better possibilities in the film industry, according to the victim’s police complaint.
Vijay Babu allegedly drunk her and sexually molested her without her consent, according to the victim.
“When I was incapable of saying yes or no consciously, he used my body as a tool for his pleasure. He has forced himself on me and even forced me into oral sex in a car against my will. I was in a state of shock, incapable of talking or responding,” the victim said on the Facebook post.
“I was under his control and was scared to speak up because of the clout , influence and power he wielded in the film industry. It was a trap to use me,” said the victim.
However, on the night of April 26, Vijay Babu went live on Facebook, alleging that the young woman was torturing him and that he was the ‘real victim’. “I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m the victim. The law of this country protects her and she is at ease while I’m the one who is suffering,” he said.
“She started sending messages saying she was depressed. From December 2021 till March 2022, I have all her messages, and over 400 screenshots. Whatever allegations she may have, rape or consensual, I have it all on record,” he added.
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