On Wednesday, 27 August, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas granted her interim protection from arrest until 17 September.
Published Aug 28, 2025 | 7:35 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 28, 2025 | 7:35 PM
Lakshmi Menon accused of alleged abduction of IT professional. (Screengrab)
Actor Lakshmi Menon has secured interim bail from arrest from the Kerala High Court, on Wednesday, 27 August, in a case involving the alleged abduction and assault of an IT professional in Kochi.
Lakshmi approached the Kerala High Court contending that the complaint was fabricated after she and her co-accused were insulted at the bar. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas granted her interim protection from arrest until 17 September.
She faces charges under the BNS, 2023, including Sections 140(2) (kidnapping or abducting to murder), 126 (wrongful restraint), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 296 (obscene acts).
The Ernakulam North Police registered the case following a complaint by Aliyarsha Salim, a native of Aluva. According to the FIR, the incident stemmed from a brawl at ‘Velocity’ Pub on Sunday night, 24 August.
The complainant alleged that the accused, including the actor, followed his car after the altercation and intercepted him near Ernakulam North Bridge around 11.45 pm.
He was allegedly forced into their vehicle, assaulted, and threatened with murder before being abandoned near the Aluva-Paravur junction.
Three accused — Midhun, Aneesh, and Sonamol — have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody, while Lakshmi has not been taken into custody.
Although only Midhun was named in the FIR, police later arraigned Lakshmi as the third accused.
(With inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman, and Dileep V Kumar)
