The Kochi City Police Cyber Crime unit has arrested a 46-year-old man, Sangeeth Luis, for allegedly attempting to extort and defame actor-director Balachandra Menon. Sangeeth, a resident of Thrissur who hails from Kundara, Kollam, was taken into custody following a detailed investigation. The arrest comes after Menon filed a complaint, leading to a probe that revealed the man’s alleged attempts to blackmail and tarnish the filmmaker’s reputation through social media platforms.Read on to know more about this development.
Police surveillance and arrest details related to Balachandra Menon case
Authorities revealed that the man was involved in several cases and had been monitored by the police for a period. He was finally taken into custody during the early hours of Thursday, August 7, 2025.
Background and preventive custody in Balachandra Menon extortion case
The incident in question happened in September of last year. The police mentioned that he was labeled an offender under the Kerala Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act and was taken into custody on preventive charges by the Kundara police back in 2023.
Minnu Muneer’s surrender and bail in Balachandra Menon defamation case
Actor Minnu Muneer, 45, who is also implicated in the case, was taken into custody after voluntarily surrendering at the Cyber Crime police station on June 30, 2025. This followed the Kerala High Court’s rejection of her anticipatory bail request and its order for her to appear before the authorities. She was later released on bail as directed by the High Court.
Charges filed under law in Balachandra Menon cyber crime case
The case was registered on October 2, 2024, with the accused facing charges under various laws. They were booked under Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for criminal intimidation, Section 67 of the IT Act for distributing or sharing obscene content electronically, and Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act for causing annoyance through repeated or unwanted anonymous communication via calls, letters, messages, emails, or messengers.
FIR details on alleged defamation and threats in Balachandra Menon case
The FIR states that Ms. Muneer frequently posted harmful and disrespectful remarks targeting the petitioner, including sharing the petitioner’s photograph to invite lewd comments. Meanwhile, the second accused is accused of making menacing phone calls to the petitioner on September 13 and 14, 2024. These incidents occurred soon after the Hema Committee released its report on alleged abuses against women in the film industry.
Click Here For The Original Source.
