A day after actor Lakshmi Menon found herself in soup after being named in a case of abduction and assault of an IT employee in Kochi, the actor has received an interim protection from arrest from the Kerala HC on Wednesday.
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas had accepted the anticipatory bail moved by Lakshmi Menon and granted her interim protection to her in the case.
The incident, which began as a quarrel at a bar, escalated late Sunday night (August 24) and led to the victim, Aluva native, Aliyar Shah Saleem, being allegedly kidnapped, beaten, and threatened inside a car. Lakshmi, along with Mithun, Aneesh, and another female friend, was reportedly part of the group which assaulted the victim.
The quarrel that began at a bar in Kochi and spilled out onto the street. When the complainant and his friends tried to leave, the accused allegedly followed their vehicle. Around 11.45 pm, near the North Railway overbridge, Aliyar’s car was stopped and he was forcibly dragged out. The FIR stated that the complainant was taken into the accused’s vehicle, where he was hit on his face and body and threatened with dire consequences. He was later released at Aluva–Paravur junction. Following his statement, police registered a case and launched an investigation. Mithun and Aneesh, residents of Aluva and Paravur, have already been taken into custody.
The anticipatory bail plea submitted by Lakshmi Menon refuted the allegations and stated that they are false and are aimed at tarnishing her reputation. Further, she noted that the complainant and his friends were the aggressors, and that she and her female friend were verbally and sexually harassed at the bar. She also alleged that they were followed and attacked with an alcohol bottle after they left.
A native of Thrippunithura, Lakshmi entered the film world with the 2011 Malayalam film Raghavinte Swantham Raziya. She earned her big break through Sasikumar's Sundarapandian (2012). Her Tamil films Kumki (2012), Kutti Puli (2013), Pandianadu (2013), Naan Sigappu Manithan (2014), Vedalam (2015), and Miruthan (2016) made her a recognisable name in the industry. She was last seen in Sabdham alongside Aadhi which released earlier this year.