The Kochi City police on Thursday arrested a 33-year-old man on charge of abusing a young actress and siphoning off ₹33 lakh from her.
The arrested was identified as Jinson Lonappan, a native of Kottapuram in Kodungalloor. The accused, working as a movie camera assistant, allegedly lured the victim — a 24-year-old woman — by offering her a chance to act in feature films.
Besides abusing her on several occasions, the accused shot her pictures in compromising positions under the guise of handing them over to filmmakers.
“The accused had been abusing the woman since February last and siphoned off around ₹33 lakh from her under the guise of having magical powers,’’ officers said.
The accused, who is married and has two children, worked as a movie camera assistant in at least a couple of films, including in Malayalam. He had met the woman almost a year ago at a shooting location, befriended her, and promised her roles in various movies.
Wanted man
The accused had reportedly left his phone at the woman’s house recently and from it, she found that the accused was a married man. When the woman demanded the money back, a cheque was given to her, which bounced. The accused threatened her later, which made her file a complaint.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Jinson was wanted in several cheating cases in Ernakulam and Thrissur.
The woman, whose parents are settled in the U.S., used to visit the State on hopes of acting in films. The police said she managed to act in minor roles in a couple of Tamil films as well. The accused was booked under IPC Sections 370, 406, and 420 and was remanded in judicial custody.