Kochi: The Kerala Police has served a notice to filmmaker and actor Vijay Babu summoning him to appear before the investigation officers in the case related to the alleged rape of a debutante actress.

The notice – under Section 41A of the Criminal Procedure Code – was sent to Babu by email as he is currently based in Dubai. A hard copy of the notice was also handed over by the police to the actor’s wife at his house in Kochi. After receiving the notice, Babu’s wife told the police that she would inform the filmmaker about the matter.

Meanwhile, sources in the police said that Babu has responded to the email. "He sought more time to appear time before the police," said an officer.

With Babu not giving any signals regarding turning up for questioning, the police are exploring other options to bring him before the law. "Procedures to impound Babu’s passport are continuing through the Crime Branch," said an officer involved in the probe.

At the same time, the Kerala Police is yet to decide on travelling to Dubai to take the celebrity into custody. "We need to seek more legal opinion before resorting to such a move," said an officer.

In 2020 the Supreme Court had ruled that serving notices and summons through emails as well as instant messaging services like Whatsapp and Telegram would be legally valid.