Thiruvananthapuram: Popular Malayalam actor Maniyanpillai Raju, who appeared before the Museum police here on Friday, has been arrested in a hit-and-run case in which two people riding a motorcycle were seriously injured.
The police recorded his arrest and took him for mandatory medical examination as per legal procedure. Later he was granted bail from the Museum police station.
Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner K. Karthik told the media that the DCP and ACP have been asked to conduct a proper investigation and submit a report.
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“Let’s wait for the report and based on that the law will take its course,” Karthik said.
The accident happened in front of Trivandrum Club around 10 pm on Thursday night.
The incident attracted public attention when it was revealed that the car did not stop at the spot after the collision.
Speaking briefly to reporters just before entering the police station, Raju said that it was a two-wheeler that had hit his car from behind.
He admitted that he was driving at the time of the accident but said that he panicked and drove off without stopping.
He said, “I was scared. Just yesterday I told that my car had met with an accident and asked to provide treatment to the injured.”
The actor also cited health reasons and said that he is a cancer patient and is currently undergoing treatment and is also recovering from Chikungunya.
He reiterated that he was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
The registration number of the car involved in the accident is KL-01-CJ-04.
According to the police, the vehicle is registered in the name of Sudhir Kumar Raju, which is the actor’s real name as per official records.
Police officials had reached the actor’s residence on Thursday night in connection with the investigation, but the house was locked and his mobile phone was switched off.
This development sparked speculation, with the actor presenting himself before the police the next morning.
The injured have been identified as Nivedith Krishna and Suraj, who were traveling on a motorcycle.
Nivedith suffered fractures in her legs, while Suraj suffered serious injuries to his spinal cord.
An FIR has been registered in the matter and police said the investigation is ongoing. While the vehicle involved has not been taken into custody yet, the actor has informed the investigators that it is currently parked in Jawahar Nagar.
More inquiries are expected as the investigation progresses.