The investigation by the Kerala police into the complaint of actor Manju Warrier that her estranged business partner and film director Sreekumar Menon had threatened to harm her gathered momentum on Monday.
Senior officials here said the Thrissur police were poised to summon Mr. Menon for questioning soon, amidst unconfirmed reports that director had sought legal recourse to stave off possible arrest.
Last week, the Thrissur East Town police registered a case against Mr. Menon based on Ms. Warrier’s petition.
Officials said the charges against him include cyber-stalking, orchestrating a social smear to defame the actor and threatening to harm Ms. Warrier physically and financially.
The Dy. SP, District Crime Branch, Thrissur, had recorded Ms. Warrier’s statement in detail on Saturday.
Digital ‘evidence’
The petitioner has reportedly given investigators digital “evidence” about attempts to target her after she fell out with Mr. Menon following a business dispute.
The alleged proof included voice clippings of purported telephone calls between the two, saved screenshots of “incriminating” messages and evidence of taunting and defamatory comments on social media accounts of persons deemed close to Mr. Menon.
Police cyber experts are aiding the probe.
The charges against Mr. Menon include outraging the modesty of a woman and other offences under the IT Act, which entail a maximum punishment of up to five years of imprisonment and fine.
The case has riveted public attention ever since Ms. Warrier met State Police Chief Loknath Behera last week and said she feared for her life and financial security.
The accusations had assumed a measure of urgency given the intense social focus on the safety of women in the Malayalam film industry, a concern that had dominated the cultural narrative in Kerala following the kidnapping and rape of a woman actor allegedly to settle personal scores in Kochi in 2017. Notably, the police had arraigned several industry insiders, including a top actor, as accused in the case.
Mr. Menon has since denied the allegations vehemently and said that he would cooperate with the investigation.
Ms. Warrier had ended her 14-year-old sabbatical from cinema by appearing alongside industry veteran Amitabh Bachchan in a series of advertisement films directed by Mr. Menon in 2013.
The popular advertisements proved to be a stepping stone to the mainstream cinema for the actor. Ms. Warrier had acted with Mohan Lal in Mr. Menon’s recent film, Odiyan.
Ms. Warrier alleged that her trouble started on the sets of the movie and Mr. Menon was spiteful that she had cancelled her foundation’s contract with the director’s firm. She accused Mr. Menon of having abused her verbally on the sets and during different stages of production.
She stated that she feared that Mr. Menon could use the signed papers and blank cheques she had given him in trust to ruin her financially.
