Online harassment: Filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan detained at Mumbai airport; Kerala police to take custody

KOCHI: A police team from Elamakkara station has been sent to Mumbai to take custody of filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, who was detained at Mumbai airport on Sunday, as there was a lookout circular issued against him.

The circular was linked to a case based on a complaint of online harassment filed by a woman actor.Sasidharan, who arrived in Mumbai from the United States where he had been staying, had been active on social media alleging that the actor faced life threats from what he called a ‘mafia.' Police said the circular was issued in Jan after the actor lodged her complaint.Confirming the detention, Elamakkara police said two officers were sent to Mumbai for his handover.

The director will be taken into custody and interrogated, with further action depending on the findings.Meanwhile, Sasidharan took to social media after his detention, objecting to the police action. He said he was being shifted from the airport to the Sahar police station.This is not the first time the filmmaker has faced legal proceedings in connection with the same actor. In May 2022, he was arrested by Kochi police on charges of stalking her and later released on bail.