Pressure is mounting on the two youngsters from Kadannamanna, near Mankada, in Malappuram district to surrender before the police in connection with an alleged incident of harassing an actor at a mall in Kochi.
The accused, identified as Irshad and Aadil, moved the High Court for anticipatory bail. A team of police officers reached Mankada on Sunday in search of the youngsters.
The cyber wing of the police traced the mobile phone location of the duo, both in their early 20s, in Coimbatore on Sunday evening. “We are closely following them. We expect them to surrender or be caught soon,” said Malappuram District Police Chief U. Abdul Kareem.
According to the police and sources in their family, Irshad and Aadil had started off towards Kochi and were likely to surrender before the police at Kalamassery either on Sunday night or on Monday morning.
The youngsters, in a video clip given to TV channels, denied having sexually assaulted the actor. They said they were ready to apologise to her if at all there was anything outrageous in their behavior.
The police registered a suo motu case under Section 354 of IPC for assault of woman with intent to outrage her modesty, after the actor described her ordeal in an Instagram status. The Kerala Women’s Commission too intervened and sought speedy action in the case.
The duo from Kadannamanna was identified after their images caught in the mall’s surveillance cameras appeared in the media. Soon they approached a lawyer at Perinthalmanna seeking advice on anticipatory bail.
The lawyer said the duo had gone to Kochi in search of a job and visited the mall as they had some free time. “They did not know the woman, and was curious to know her films when they saw her taking pictures with other people. From what I learned from them, they had done nothing intentionally to offend the actor,” he said.
He said he was surprised to find so much of media attention falling on this case under IPC Section 354. “I have dealt with several similar cases. I don’t know why so much focus is given on this case,” he said.
