Thiruvananthapuram, July 7 (BPNS)
Malayalam actor Sreejith Ravi was sent to a 14-day remand after he was charged and arrested under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) act on Thursday. He was arrested by the Thrissur West Police upon complaints filed by two children that he resorted to exhibitionism near SN Park, Ayyanthol. In 2016 also the actor was charged under similar provisions at Palakkad. In the present case, the actor was identified upon checking CCTV footage.
“The incident was reported on July 4. The children aged nine and 14 had first raised the complaint with their parents. They eventually alerted us. The children didn’t know then that it was Sreejith. They just shared the information that a man inside a black car exposed himself. The time of the incident was also given. We then checked the CCTV footage, identified the car, and then to the person behind the crime,” said a police officer.
At the same time, when he was presented before the Thrissur additional sessions court, the actor tried to mislead the court as he said that he had a behavioral disorder and is undergoing psychotherapy. However, the prosecution opposed this defence argument as it turned out that some medical records were six months old. The prosecution also cited the past incident to deny the actor bail. It also argued that accepting a bail plea might send a wrong message to society.
“The actor tried his best to avoid arrest as well as from being sent to jail. For that, he tried first to mislead the police and then the court. Some documents he produced were dated July 7 and some were six months old. We will check what happened to that 2016 case. It seems it’s a case of out-of-court settlement as the actor might have tendered an apology to the concerned,” added the police official.
Meanwhile, it is learned that before July 4, the actor is said to have been involved in a similar crime and the police are verifying the same.
Sreejith Ravi is the son of senior Malayalam actor TG Ravi and is known for his roles in films like Jo and Jo, Aaraattu, Ramaleela, Godha, Punyalan Private Limited, Iyobinte Pusthakam, and others.
