Kochi Doctor Accused of Rape Moves Ernakulam Court Alleging ₹3 Crore Extortion Trap

KOCHI — Dr Johnson K Varghese has moved the Ernakulam Sessions Court for anticipatory bail, claiming a sexual assault complaint registered against him by Infopark police is a fabricated cover for a ₹3 crore blackmail plot.

Police booked the physician following an official complaint from a 50-year-old woman, who alleged he sexually assaulted her at a hotel near Kochi's Infopark on October 10. Varghese has remained untraceable since investigators lodged the first information report. In his petition, he flatly denied the charge. He maintained that the complainant was a long-time patient with whom he shared an ordinary personal friendship.

Yet his bail petition tells a darker, violent story.

Varghese alleged that an actor related to the complainant lured him to an apartment in Kadavanthra under the pretext of an urgent medical consultation. When he walked through the door, 13 people were waiting. According to the petition, the group tied him up, beat him, stripped him naked, and filmed compromising videos. Then came the ransom demand: ₹3 crore, or the footage went public.

Varghese refused to pay. He claims WhatsApp chat records in his possession document financial threats sent before the Kadavanthra ambush. The retaliatory rape complaint, he told the court, landed only after he defied the extortionists and initiated legal steps against them.

Police investigators have already moved against the alleged extortion network. Officers arrested actors Athulya Chandran and Bibin Perumpally in connection with the physical assault on the physician. On Monday, police escorted both accused before the Kochi Magistrate Court, which remanded them to two days in police custody for custodial interrogation.

Police maintain that Varghese's counterclaims remain subject to cross-verification, while the Ernakulam Sessions Court will take up his anticipatory bail application later this week.