A 'blue corner' notice has been issued against rape-accused Malayalam actor-producer Vijay Babu, who is presently on the run and believed to be in Dubai, Kerala Police said on Thursday, May 5. A blue corner notice is issued to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a crime, according to Interpol. Kochi City Police Commissioner CH Nagaraju said that a 'blue corner' notice has been issued and all steps will be taken to bring him back at the earliest.
Babu, according to the police, is on the run after a female film colleague, hailing from Kozhikode, filed a complaint in Ernakulam on April 22 that she was sexually assaulted and beaten up by him a few times at a flat in Kochi. Soon after the news surfaced, Babu appeared live on his social media handle claiming that he was the "real victim" in this case, and that he would take appropriate legal steps against the complainant, whom he also named. She has also accused the actor of making her intoxicated before the sexual abuse.
The police, apart from her complaint, have registered a second case against the actor for disclosing the name of the complainant. Babu, while on the run, filed an anticipatory bail plea but the Kerala High Court gave him no recourse, posting the case to be taken up after the summer recess on May 18. In his anticipatory bail petition, Babu had claimed that the actor was trying to blackmail him. Vijay Babu also said that he has all the evidence, including chat messages between him and the complainant, to prove his innocence and is ready to submit it before the court too.
On April 28, the Kerala police had issued a lookout notice against the actor in connection with the rape case, which means if he lands at any port of entry in the country, he could be arrested.