Kochi doctor assault case: Doctor seeks anticipatory bail, claims Rs 3 crore extortion plot

Kochi: In the latest development in the Kochi doctor assault case, a 41-year-old doctor has approached the Ernakulam Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail, claiming that the sexual assault complaint against him is part of an alleged extortion conspiracy involving a demand for Rs 3 crore. 

In his bail petition, the doctor has denied sexually assaulting a 50-year-old woman at a hotel near Infopark on October 10. He has claimed that the woman was his long-time patient and that they shared a close friendship.

Alleging that the complaint was filed in retaliation, he has maintained that the case was initiated after he refused to pay the money allegedly demanded by a group and took legal action against them.  

The doctor has also presented a counter-allegation concerning the earlier assault incident. He has accused a female actor, who is related to the complainant, of calling him to a flat in Kochi's Kadavanthra area under the pretext of seeking emergency medical assistance. According to his petition, around 12 people were waiting at the premises, where they allegedly restrained and assaulted him before stripping him and recording compromising videos.

He has claimed that the group subsequently demanded Rs 3 crore and threatened to circulate the recordings if he did not pay. The doctor has also referred to alleged WhatsApp conversations which, according to him, show that money had been demanded even before the incident at the flat. These claims form part of his bail plea and are yet to be independently established, NDTV reported. 

The anticipatory bail application comes after Infopark Police registered a sexual assault case against the doctor on a complaint filed by a relative of one of the people arrested in the assault and robbery case. The woman alleged that he sexually assaulted her after giving her intoxicants. The police investigation into the complaint is underway.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that Kadavanthra Police arrested three people, including two actors, over allegations that they assaulted and robbed the doctor after luring him to an apartment in Ponnurunni, Vyttila, on the pretext of an emergency medical consultation. The doctor had alleged that around 12 people attacked and threatened him before taking away valuables, including two mobile phones and a smartwatch, collectively worth approximately Rs 3.25 lakh. The alleged incident took place on November 2. Later, the case took a turn after the doctor was booked for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman after giving her intoxicants. 

Meanwhile, the two accused arrested in connection with the alleged assault and robbery were produced before a magistrate court on Monday, which granted two days of police custody.

The court is expected to consider the doctor's anticipatory bail application in the coming days.