Dileep Case: Hacker Says He Can Retrieve Data He Removed For The Actor

Sai's name came up as the cyber expert who helped destroy data that could have been evidence against Dileep.

Sai Shankar, a co-accused in the 2017 Dileep case, shared details of his involvement and association with the co-accused to The News Minute.

Sai told the publication that lawyers from Raman Pillai Associates were the first to approach him to seek technical help for Dileep. The help later included the removal of data that was seemingly not crucial for the case. Sai said he was given two phones - an iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13. He further told TNM that Dileep had given clear instructions on what needed removal, what needed to be retained, and what needed to be copied.

Sai stated that they wanted three copies of the removed data on a hard disk and a copy of the retained data in a pen drive. After the work was done, he claimed that he returned all the devices as well as the checklist he had created back to them. He claimed that he did not make a copy but a mirror copy would remain as the phones were connected to his iMac. He went on to say that he was not certain about the importance of the documents but the police would know.

He told TNM that he began to realise the gaps in their claims after he began to rethink their conversations. He said he also came across documents that were court-related. Mentions of names that were connected to the case, secret statements and other details were reportedly there on the phone. They had also previously claimed they have some chats with Balachandrakumer, none of which Sai found. Although, some screenshots were sent to the said phones from another device.

Sai, in less than two weeks, will appear in front of the court to record his statement. His name first came up in media reports in late March, as the cyber expert who helped destroy data that could have been evidence against Dileep.

By then Dileep, the famous Malayalam actor, had been accused in two cases - the abduction and sexual assault of a fellow actor, and a conspiracy case to kill the police who were investigating the case.