Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam actor Siddique, who was booked by the Museum police here on August 27 for rape and criminal intimidation, is on the run.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the sexual harassment cases, has published a lookout notice in Malayalam and English newspapers along with Siddique’s photograph.
The investigating team is seeking the actor’s custody for interrogation in connection with the rape case filed by an aspiring young actor.
Siddique had filed a petition in Kerala High Court on September 25, pleading that he has been “falsely implicated in a false and bogus case” because of a row between Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) and Women in Cinema Collective (WCC).
However, the high court rejected the bail plea stating that charges against the actor are serious in nature.
The actor, charged under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of BNSS, will most likely move the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail.
The victim, who had alleged sexual harassment during #MeToo movement in 2019, mustered courage following the release of Hema Committee report which exposed widespread sexual abuse in Malayalam film industry.