Kochi: After Vipin Lal, another accused - Vishnu - has come forward seeking permission to become an approver in the sensational actor assault case of 2017.
Vishnu, the tenth accused in the case, approached the Additional Special Sessions Court here on Thursday, offering to admit his role in the crime booked against him and reveal all that he knew.
Vishnu is accused of smuggling a mobile phone to jail, which he handed over to the main culprit Sunilkumar ('Pulsar' Suni), the first accused.
According to the prosecution, Sunilkumar used the mobile phone to contact Nadir Shah, a friend of actor Dileep, the eight accused in the case.
The prosecution alleges that Vishnu conspired with the other accused to extort money from Dileep and his friends.
Vishnu has also offered to reveal all details regarding this conspiracy hatched in the jail.
The Court will consider his application on Friday.
Meanwhile, Vipin Lal, against whom the Court had issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday, failed to show up at the court on Thursday. The police were unable to trace him even though, as an approver, he is supposed to be under surveillance.
The Court had issued a warrant against Vipin Lal after a petition filed by Dileep.
Dileep moved the petition stating that Vipin's release from jail is a violation of Section 306 of CrPC under which an accused, who was made an approver while in judicial custody, has to remain in jail till his examination is over.
But Vipin managed to come out of jail without bail in 2018 before he was examined as a witness.
After Vipin Lal's no show, several matters related to the case were delayed.
Earlier this week, the Court also dismissed the bail pleas of Sunil Kumar ('Pulsar' Suni), Vijeesh and Manikandan, the three main accused in the case.
The Court found that the two accused – Vijeesh and Manikandan - had played a significant role in the abduction of the prominent young actress and helping Pulsar Suni, the first accused, rape the victim in a moving car. They had also recorded the crime on a mobile phone.
The three have been in custody for over four years now. Their pleas were rejected for the second time on Tuesday.
The trial is set to be complete by March 17, 2021.
