Kochi – In connection with a money laundering case registered in April, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has interrogated Soubin Shahir, one of the lead actors and producers of the super hit movie ‘Manjummel Boys’.
As per ED sources, the actor will be questioned again in the coming days for more details.
‘Manjummel Boys’, which has collected over Rs 225 crores at the box office ran into a major trouble as the producers of the movie faced cheating charges following a complaint filed by an investor named Siraj Valiyathara Hameed.
As per the complainant, he was promised 40 percent share of profits from ‘Parava’ films’ founders namely Soubin Shahir and Shawn Antony. Siraj alleged that the makers of the movie backtracked and dragged him for days and weeks for no reasons.
Case history
Initially, the Maradu police in Ernakulam who filed a case on April 23rd following a complaint filed by Siraj Valiyathara who is also an investor.
The case was registered following the direction of the Ernakulam first class magistrate court.
The investor complained that the Manjummel Boys team did not share the profits which was promised initially which was 40 percent of the profit-share. The magistrate court ordered the freezing of the accounts of the producers.
However, in an anticipatory bail plea filed by Soubin and his associates, it was stated that the amount would be paid as per the agreement clauses and the matter will be settled. It also stated that Siraj started demanding exorbitant sum of money after media reports came out that the cinema collected more than Rs 250 crores.
The police, upon investigation, found substantial evidence of financial fraud and subsequently submitted their report to the High Court. The ED’s involvement stems from these findings, aiming to determine if any illicit financial transactions were involved in the film’s production.
The complaint stated that Siraj had invested Rs 7 crore in the film, with the producers falsely inflating the total production cost to Rs 22 crore, when it was actually 18.56 crores.
The case registration and the probe led to a major embarrassment within the film industry as more investors began coming up with such allegations of cheating.
One of a small-time investor based in Ernakulam who spoke to TV9 under conditions of anonymity said that he has lost Rs 10 lakh which was promised by a production banner after the movie’s release. Even though the movie did fairly well, the investor was not paid the renumeration promised.
“There are many like me who usually don’t speak out thinking that it should not affect the reputation of the movie or the celebrities involved”, he said.
In connection with a money laundering case registered in April, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has interrogated popular Malayalam actor and producer Soubin Shahir, Kerala States News India: Top News India, States News, States News Headlines, Online State News India, State Politics news
