Amid sexual allegations, Malayalam actors Vineeth Sreenivasan and Bhagath Manuel defend Nivin Pauly: He was with us

Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly is one of six people accused of sexual assault by a 40-year-old woman in Dubai. The incident is said to have taken place over a year ago. However, two fellow actors, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Bhagath Manuel, have come forward to refute the allegations against Pauly.

Sreenivasan, while speaking to Reporter Live, provided an alibi for Pauly. He stated that Pauly was with him in Kerala on the day of the alleged assault, December 14 and 15. Sreenivasan further claimed that they were together in Kochi's ABAD Nucleus Mall until 3 am on December 15 and that Pauly was also on the sets of his upcoming serial Pharma on the same day.

#Malayalam Actor #NivinPauly was arrested on Tuesday following a complaint from a 40-year-old woman he sexually harassed a year ago in #Dubai#Nivin famous for #Premam and #BangaloreDayshas made his innocence clear#NaariMahaShakti #TamannaahBhatia #YashBOSS #Mahesh #BiggBossTelugu8 pic.twitter.com/b4xKn2Zyzj
— Pakka Telugu Media (@pakkatelugunewz) 3 September 2024

A media outlet translated Vineeth's statement: “Nivin was with us on shoot in Kochi on December 14 and 15, 2023, the days the woman claims to have been manhandled. If you check the facts, you will find that we booked a hotel in Kochi under Nivin's name and shot scenes where Nivin was surrounded by people on stage. All this can be easily verified. This shows that her allegations are not true.”

Bhagath posted pictures of him and Nivin shooting for the film on Instagram. Underlining a timestamp on the photo he shared, he wrote in Malayalam, “From 14th December 8am to 15th December 3am, Vineeth, Nivin and I were together. These pictures are the proof.”

When the news broke on Tuesday, Nivin posted a message on his social media channels: “I have come across a hoax accusing me of molesting a girl. Please be assured that this is completely untrue. I am determined to do everything I can to prove that these allegations are baseless and will take all necessary steps to bring those responsible to light. Thank you for your interest. The rest will be dealt with legally.”

Later in the day, he also held a press conference. He appeared relaxed but surprised to be accused of rape. Nivin told the press, “The police called me about a complaint filed by the same woman one and a half months ago. The case was closed when I told them that I did not know her.” The police filed a complaint based on a new complaint filed by the woman. “I am sure that I have not done anything wrong, so I am responding immediately. People have been calling and consoling me, but I am ready to take legal action against it,” he said.

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