Actor Bala has been booked by the Thrikkakara police on charge of trespassing into the house of a YouTuber and threatening him. Three others have also been arraigned as accused in the case.
The incident took place on Friday around 6 p.m., as per the complainant Abdul Khadar, the roommate of YouTuber Aju Alex who goes by the name Chekuthan.
According to the FIR registered by the police, Bala and three of his accomplices barged into the third-floor apartment at Unichira, near Kakkanad, after being allegedly provoked by a video posted by the YouTuber criticising the actor. The actor allegedly threw the YouTuber’s clothes on the floor and tore a backdrop fixed at the apartment for shooting videos. He also allegedly threatened him of dire consequences if the post was not deleted by night.
The YouTuber in his post had criticised Bala for allegedly forcing a freelance film reviewer, Santhosh Varkey, popularly known as Aaratt Annan, into making a public apology.
The accused were booked under Sections 451 (house trespass), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The complainant said that the actor was hysteric and had flashed a gun, which looked like a revolver, handed over to him from a bag by an accomplice who followed him into the apartment. However, the FIR had no mention of any such incident involving a gun.
The YouTuber claimed that the actor had also rung up the son of a late Congress leader to show his influence though he said that he was not certain about the identity of the person on the other side. He said CCTV footage from the apartment had also been handed over to the police.
Since the incident was reported, a video had emerged of Bala talking to the complainant in which he could be heard saying that while everyone has the right to criticise, none should use bad words.
