Actor Vijay Babu, accused of raping colleague, refuses to return to India
The Hindu
It is now learned that the accused is planning to return on Wednesday
The actor-producer Vijay Babu facing rape charges continued to remain elusive as he postponed his scheduled return from Dubai on Monday, May 30, at the last minute.
Mr. Babu was supposed to return here by a morning flight from Dubai. Apprehensions of being arrested on his arrival seem to have led to the decision. Police had made clear their intention to arrest him immediately on his arrival.
His counsels had produced the air tickets for his scheduled return on Monday before the Kerala High Court earlier this month when his anticipatory bail plea was considered by the court.
It is now learned that the accused is planning to return on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the High Court, which was supposed to hear his anticipatory bail plea postponed it to Tuesday. Mr. Babu seems determined not to return before a verdict is given on his plea one way or the other.
Though the police had approached the CBI, the national nodal agency for Interpol, earlier this month for getting a Red Corner notice issued against him by the international agency, it is yet to materialise. The police are also gathering evidence about allegations that Babu’s friends had helped him evade the law by making available credit cards to meet the expenses of his extended stay abroad and had even tried to influence the survivor to withdraw the complaint.
Mr. Babu was booked for rape by the Ernakulam South police on April 22 on a petition by a young woman actor. A second case was booked after he revealed the identity of the survivor in a social media outburst. Mr. Babu had fled the country to Dubai via Bengaluru soon after the first case was registered. A Facebook live from there led to the registration of the second case bringing serious backlash from organisations like the Women in Cinema Collective.
Since then, police had issued a lookout notice against him besides getting the Interpol to issue a Blue Corner notice as well.
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