- Kerala actor Lakshmi Menon faces charges of abduction and assault in Kochi incident
- Complainant alleges kidnapping and assault by Ms Menon and three associates near North Bridge
- Ms Menon denies allegations, claims she and a friend were harassed by the complainant and friends
Kerala actor Lakshmi Menon faces charges related to the alleged abduction and assault of a software professional in Kochi. The complainant alleged he had been kidnapped and assaulted by Ms Menon and her friends near the city's Ernakulam North Bridge after a dispute at a bar.
The techie told the police Ms Menon and three associates - Mithun, Aneesh, and Sonamol - dragged him out of his car and forced him into another. The techie alleged he had been assaulted and threatened in that vehicle before being thrown out of it, after which it sped away.
Ms Menon, however, has labelled the complaint false and fabricated, and meant to tarnish her reputation. The 27-year-old actor said a female friend and she were at the bar that night. But, she said, it was they who had been harassed by the complainant and his male friends.
The Kerala High Court has granted the actor protection from arrest till September 17.
The three men who have been arrested are now in judicial custody.
The events in question took place on the night of August 24.
Lakshmi Menon Case: What Happened?
Local media said the city bar is located on Kochi's Banerjee Road.
Ms Menon and her friends reportedly reached the bar sometime after 11pm. The confrontation with the complainant happened sometime before midnight and spilled into the street.
The cause remains unclear.
Ms Menon said her friend and she were sexually harassed by the complainant. She said his friends and he followed them after they left the bar, and even attacked them with a beer bottle.
VIDEO | Actor Lakshmi Menon Accused Of Kidnapping, Assaulting Techie In Kochi
The complainant, however, has said the actor's associates were drunk and abusing his friends, and that he (and his associates) tried to leave the bar quietly to avoid further escalation.
The complainant said his associates and he got into their car and left.
But then, according to reports by Malayalam publication Onmanorama, the actor's associates followed in their car and the confrontation continued at the North Bridge.
The techie claimed that when he got out to try and defuse the situation, he was forced into the other car that then drove off. He said he was threatened and assaulted inside the vehicle.
NDTV has video footage - that cannot be independently verified - that seems to show Ms Menon and her group stopping the techie's car.
Who Is Lakshmi Menon?
Born in Kochi, Ms Menon, a dancer by training, made her cinematic debut in 2011 with director Vinayan's Raghuvinte Swantham Rasya, a Malayalam film.
She went on to appear in Tamil language movies also, beginning with Sundarapandian, directed by SR Prabhakaran, in 2012. She won multiple awards for her work in that film, including Best Female Debut in the 60th Filmfare Awards South.
What Charges Does She Face?
Ms Menon faces a litany of serious charges, including wrongful confinement and voluntarily causing hurt. Her associates and she also face charges related to the alleged abduction of the techie and obscene acts (it is unclear what these alleged acts were) and criminal intimidation.
With input from agencies
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