The Perumbavoor police in Ernakulam arrested a 23-year-old youth on Tuesday, for posting a defamatory Facebook video on actor Mohanlal and producer Antony Perumbavoor.
In a Facebook ‘selfie’ video published recently, Thrissur-native Naseeh Ashraf accused the actor and the producer of running brothels for the migrant labourers in Perumbavoor.
“I understood this three years ago when I visited a friend of mine in Perumbavoor. Mohanlal and Antony are the people who run this racket and they earn lakhs of rupees by doing so," he said.
"I have crores of rupees and assets in my name and have also left signed cheques at home,” Naseeh added.
Five days after the video went viral on social media, Antony Perumbavoor approached the local police.
However, when the police questioned Naseeh based on Antony’s complaint filed on March 6, they were in for a shock.
“We took him into custody from his house in Thrissur and questioned him at the station. Then he started saying things which did not even make sense. He told us that he was the only person alive to have IQ at par with Newton,” Perumbavoor Circle Inspector Byju told The News Minute.
Naseeh’s mother soon approached the police, claiming that Naseeh was mentally unstable.
"His mother produced records of his previous treatments and we were convinced of the family's claim," the officer said.
Naseeh, who has been charged under sections 500 IPC (defamation) and 153 IPC (causing enmity), was then given bail. Following this, he was sent to a mental asylum in Thodupuzha, police said.
"The cases filed against him are all non-cognizable offences and so we granted him the bail. After this, his family requested our help to get him admitted to a mental asylum," the CI said.