'Duniya' Vijay arrested for abduction, assault

Tension prevailed at the High Grounds police station after actor ‘Duniya’ Vijay and four associates were arrested on Saturday night for abducting and assaulting celebrity gym trainer Maruthi Gowda.

According to a complaint, Maruthi had gone to a bodybuilding competition where the actor was the chief guest. Maruthi “stared at” Vijay and allegedly passed a comment which didn’t go down well with the actor, his associates and fans. A fight broke out between Maruthi and the actor’s supporters, police said, after which Maruthi was chased and bundled into Vijay’s car.

Police booked Vijay and associates under section 323 (assault), 362 (kidnap), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 342 (wrongful confinement).

The complaint filed by Krishnamurthy alias Pani Puri Kitti — Maruthi’s uncle and friend-turned-rival of Vijay — says that Maruthi had accompanied three participants from Krishnamurthy’s ‘Muscle Planet’ gym to the bodybuilding competition at Ambedkar Bhavan in Vasanth Nagar on Saturday. Around 10.45 pm, he received a call from his students that Vijay and associates had assaulted Maruthi and taken him in their Range Rover.

When Kitti called up Maruthi, he was being assaulted by the accused in their vehicle. The attack continued even when he was talking on phone. He said Vijay grabbed Maruthi’s phone and threatened to kill Kitti too.
Kitti was told by the others at the competition that Vijay, bodybuilder Prasad, gym coach Mani and Vijay’s driver Prasad had abducted Maruthi, the complaint said.

The victim told the police that the actor also forced him to confess that he had started the fight and recorded his statement.

After a large number of people, including Vijay’s family and friends, turned up at the station, the actor was shifted to Vyalikaval police station on Sunday morning. Vijay gave a statement before the police that he was protecting the victim from angry fans and had taken him in his car to drop him home.