Police conducted searches at the office and house of Pathanapuram Legislative Assembly member K Ganesh Kumar in connection with the case against his close aide and office secretary M Pradeep Kottathala for threatening the family of an approver in the actor assault case.
A special investigation team headed by Pathanapuram Circle Inspector of police visited the office and house of the MLA in Pathanapuram on Tuesday. A team from Kottarakkara also searched Pradeep's house. Reports say that searches were to find phones and laptops used by Pradeep. Though Bekal police is investigating this case, as they couldn’t reach Pathanapuram immediately, they asked Pathanapuram police to conduct raids.
Case was registered against Pradeep a few weeks ago by the Bekal police, after CCTV footage revealed Pradeep confronting a relative of Vipin Lal who was earlier an accused in the actor assault case and later turned approver. The incident happened in a jewellery shop at Kasaragod district. Vipin Lal was lodged in the same jail cell as Pulsar Suni, the first accused in the case, who had sexually assaulted the female actor. According to Vipin’s statement, Pulsar Suni had taken his assistance in sending letters to Dileep asking about the contractual money he was promised for executing the assault. Vipin had turned approver in the case.
Pradeep was arrested from the office of Ganesh Kumar in the first week of November. There were reports that the MLA has informed his dissent to the government on the act of police arresting Pradeep.
A congress leader Jyothikumar Chamakkala who released the footage alleged that Vipin had received threatening calls pressurizing to change his statement.
Ganesh Kumar, a long time member and Executive Committee member of A.M.M.A, the association for Malayalam movie artistes is a close friend of Dileep, the actor who is the eighth accused in the case and has been charged for masterminding the conspiracy behind the assault. The MLA had visited the actor in Aluva Sub jail, while the latter was remanded in 2017.