The passport of Malayalam movie producer and actor Vijay Babu, who allegedly fled the country after being booked in a rape case, has been impounded, police said here on Friday.
Amid indication that Babu has moved to another country from Dubai where he was believed to have been hiding since the police charged him with rape following a woman's complaint, the police said steps have been initiated to nab him.
A red corner notice would be issued against him if he fails to appear before the investigating team before May 24, Kochi city Police Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam told reporters here. "There is an indication that he has moved to another country from Dubai. We are trying to confirm it. Information on his movement will be provided to the destination-country through the Indian embassy," he said.
The Commissioner said a notice was served on Babu asking him to appear for interrogation, but he failed to give a satisfactory reply, which was why his passport was impounded by the Regional Passport Officer, the police official said.
The police intensified the investigation and the anticipatory bail plea of Babu is pending in the High Court. Babu has also been charged for disclosing the survivor's identity, which is an offence, in a live session on social media.
In his anticipatory bail plea, Babu said the allegations against him were an attempt to blackmail him and that he was the real victim. The producer is also the founder of the production company Friday Film House, and the woman, who appeared in movies produced by Vijay Babu, lodged the police complaint on April 22. She gave details through the social media after the physical assault and sexual exploitation she allegedly suffered from him for the past one-and-a-half months.