After receiving more than 12 complaints regarding the sexual misconduct of a 38-year-old man claiming to be a ‘Kollywood filmmaker’, the Salem City police in Tamil Nadu have formed special teams to identify more survivors and record their complaints. The accused Vel Sathriyan and his assistant Jayajothi (23) were arrested on September 1 last week and sent to judicial custody, based on a complaint received at the Sooramangalam Women’s Police Station. The duo had allegedly manipulated several women by calling them for ‘film auditions’, forcing them into acting out intimate scenes with him, and recording obscene videos and photos of them.
“[Vel Sathriyan] has cheated many people. The number of victims could go up to 300 as per our estimates. An investigation is underway and we have seized his laptop, mobile, hard disk, camera and other gadgets, which will all be sent for forensic analysis,” a top police officer told TNM. The police have also seized more than 400 portfolios of people who seem to have wanted to act in his movies.
Vel Sathriyan reportedly told the women that they were being called for the audition of his new directorial venture titled ‘No’. Subsequently during the ‘auditions’, he asked the women to follow his exact ‘instructions’ while acting out the scenes, claiming that his film was headed for a ‘national award’. He then allegedly went on to use the videos of these women to blackmail and threaten them into doing him sexual favours.
The complaint at the Sooramangalam police station was registered by an aspiring actor who had earlier approached Vel Sathriyan for a chance to act in his movie. Initially, the ‘filmmaker’ and his assistant had allegedly promised her a role in his new movie if she paid them Rs 30,000. When she refused to do so, they instead offered her a role as an office girl for three months, which she accepted. However, they later forced her to act in intimate scenes with him, after which she left the job. Amid her attempts to get her salary for three months from the company, she came across intimate pictures and videos of many women in their office, following which she decided to file a police complaint.
Both Vel Sathriyan and his assistant have been charged under the Indian Penal Code sections 354(B) (criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506(ii) (criminal intimidation), besides sections 66(E) (violation of privacy) and 67(A) (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.
Meanwhile, an audio clip in which Vel Sathriyan is purportedly talking to the mother of one of the victims was leaked on social media. In the clip, he can be heard saying that he will hug, kiss, and touch her daughter to train her for the movie, further claiming that her daughter was “ready” to be trained in this manner. He is also heard asking for the mother’s permission to continue this ‘training’.
Initial investigations revealed that Jayajothi, Vel Sathriyan’s ‘assistant’, is an aeronautical engineering graduate hailing from Virudhanagar, and had come to Salem in February to pursue a law degree at the Central Law College. After Vel Sathriyan promised her that he would help her get admission in the law college, she took a job at his ‘cinema company’, where she was asked to ‘train’ the actors on dialogue delivery. She was presented before the Additional Mahila Court on Tuesday, September 6, where Magistrate Dineshkumaran granted Sooramangalam police her custody for three days. The Salem City police is also in the process of seeking police custody of Vel Satriyan, as more complaints have been filed against him. Meanwhile, officials are also on the lookout for two of his managers, who are currently on the run.
Any woman survivor who wants to file a complaint against Vel Sathriyan can contact Subbulakshmi, Inspector of Police, Sooramangalam All Women’s Police Station, on the phone number 9894355193. The Salem City police have promised that confidentiality will be maintained.