Rape accused actor Vijay Babu arrives in Kerala

Kochi: Malayalam actor and producer Vijay Babu, accused in a rape case, flew back to Kerala from Dubai on Wednesday, shortly after the Kerala High Court granted him interim protection from arrest.

Kochi City Police had registered a case against Babu, accused in the rape of a female actor, and he had fled the country for fear of arrest. He is also facing another case for revealing the identity of the victim on social media.

Babu spoke to the media when he landed at Cochin International Airport on Wednesday morning and said, "I have faith in the judicial system. I will prove my innocence in court. I will cooperate with the probe. I thank all those who stood with me during this hour of crisis".

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday had granted him interim protection from arrest till June 2 while considering Babu's anticipatory bail plea, according to the Indian Express.

For the past one month, the Kerala police had been pressuring Babu to come before them for the investigation. The actor's passport was revoked by the External Affairs Ministry last week on the instructions of the Kerala Police, which had given him an ultimatum. When police said they would issue a Red Corner Notice against him, Babu fled to another country that did not enter into an extradition treaty with India.

The Kochi City Police had registered a case against Babu on April 27 for sexual assault against a female actor. Soon after the case was registered, the actor appeared on social media and revealed the victim's identity and claimed to be the 'real' victim in the case.