Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 23 (IANS): Malayalam star Dileep is being questioned at the Crime Branch police office in Kalamassery on Sunday in a non-bailable case related to a conspiracy to attack investigating officials.

The Kerala High Court on Saturday had directed Dileep and four of his associates, including his brother, brother-in-law and two friends, to appear before the Kerala Crime Branch on Sunday for questioning in connection with an alleged conspiracy to kill police officers who investigated an abduction and sexual assault case in which the actor is an accused.

The court, in its interim order on Saturday, said the accused should not be arrested till January 27 and that they be interrogated from January 23 onwards, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The court also directed the prosecutor to place before it a report on the interrogation of the accused and the proceedings that take place on January 27.

Dileep, his brother Anoop, brother-in-law Sooraj, his aide Appu alias Krishnadas, and close friend Byju Chengamanad are being interrogated at the Crime Branch office. They reached the office at 8.55 and questioning commenced under the leadership of Crime Branch Superintendent of Police C. Mohanachandran.

Popular because of the comic characters he plays on screen, Dilip has been in the news for the wrong reasons after a frontline South Indian heroine complained that she had been abducted and sexually assaulted by a gang of goons in 2017 and certain scenes were filmed to blackmail her.

After the main accused Sunil was arrested and questioned, the prosecution charged Dileep with being the main conspirator in the case. Dileep was arrested and jailed. He spent two months in prison before getting bail and the trial has been going on.

Recently, a former close associate of Dileep, Balachandrakumar, a movie director who had fallen out with the actor, revealed that Dileep had conspired to do away with the investigating officers in the case.

He alleged that Dileep, while watching a YouTube video of the then Superintendent of Police A.V. George had spoken openly about doing away with the officer and engaging rowdy elements for this. Dileep's accomplices, according to the film director's version of the conversation, had said that they would have to spend Rs 1.5 crore for this.

Balachandrakumar made the deposition before a magistrate's court along with a few audio recordings he had made at Dileep's residence.

The police officers who Dileep had allegedly said that he would do away with included DGP B. Sandhya, ADGP S. Sreejith, SPs A.V. George and S. Sudarshan, and Deputy SP Byju Paulose.

Balachandrakumar also revealed that Dileep had said he would cut and remove the right hand of SP Sudarshan, who he said had assaulted him while he was in police custody.