The Week

Nivin Pauly trashes sexual abuse allegation, says he has never met the woman

The actor has been booked on charges of sexual assault based on a complaint by a 40-year-old woman

Actor Nivin Pauly Actor Nivin Pauly

Actor Nivin Pauly, who has been booked on charges of sexual assault of a 40-year-old woman, dismissed the allegations and said he will take necessary steps to bring those responsible to light.

In a social media post on Tuesday night, the Premam actor said the news reports on the alleged incident are “entirely untrue”.

“I have come across a false news report accusing me of abusing a girl. Please know that this is entirely untrue. I’m determined to go to any extent to prove these allegations are baseless and will take all necessary steps to bring those responsible to light. Thank you for your concern. The rest will be handled legally,” Pauly said.

Later, addressing the media, the actor said he had never met the woman who filed the complaint against him.

“I will cooperate with any investigation. The allegation against me is part of a conspiracy. I doubt if it’s an attempt to blackmail me,” he said.

Earlier in the day, an FIR was filed against the actor at Oonnukal police station in Ernakulam district under section 376 of the IPC based on a complaint by the woman that she had been sexually assaulted by him in Dubai a year ago.

The complainant claimed that the actor abused her, after promising her a role in a movie.

A police officer told the media that Pauly is the sixth accused in the case while the first accused is a woman who reportedly took the victim to Dubai, promising her a role in the movie.

Pauly is the latest among a slew of actors in Malayalam who have been facing sexual abuse allegations ever since the Justice Hema Committee report was made public last month.

The Committee was set up by the Kerala government in 2017 after a female actor was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving car near Kochi.