TV actress' suicide: Father files complaint against actor

Bengaluru: The case of noted small-screen Kannada actress Soujanya's suicide has taken a twist with her father lodging a complaint against her fellow actor Vivek and assistant Mahesh, the police said on Friday.

The Kumbalagodu police investigating the case are questioning Vivek, a Kannada and Telugu small-screen actor, and Mahesh. Soujanya's father, Prabhu Madappa, says he suspects that Vivek used to torture his daughter to marry him.

"My daughter was all right," Madappa said. "I had given her money recently. The gold is missing.

There must be another reason for her death. Mahesh did not wait for the police to come and removed the body of my daughter from the spot where it was found. Soujanya's mobile is missing. Once it is found, everything will come to light," the distraught father added.

The Kumbalagodu police, meanwhile, conducted a recce of the apartment in the presence of Soujanya's parents.

Reacting to charges, actor Vivek said he was waiting for the post-mortem report to answer the allegations against him. "I will not say anything now. I knew Soujanya for over a year. She met me whenever she was upset. She was an innocent person," he said.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra has stated that he has instructed the police to conduct an inquiry into the case and take suitable action.