Puja Banerjee, husband face FIR by Goa Police for abducting, extorting money from Bengali filmmaker

Mint

a day ago

Goa: TV actor couple Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma have found themselves in the legal hotseat after the Goa Police filed a FIR against the couple for allegedly abducting and extorting money from Bengali filmmaker Shyam Sunder Dey, officials said on Saturday.
An FIR was first filed at Panache police station in Kolkata on June 12 based on a complaint by Dey's wife, Malabika, against the actor couple. However, since the alleged incident took place in North Goa, the case was later transferred to the Calangute Police, a police official told PTI.
As per the FIR, the accused seized the victim's two mobile phones, forcibly extracted his personal data and passwords, and threatened to misuse them.
A police official said Dey had been asked to appear before Goa Police for recording his statement.
"We have asked him to appear before the investigating officer as soon as possible," the official said.
Goa Police booked the actor couple, Piyush Kothari, and others on the charges of kidnapping, assault, and extortion.
Dey's wife stated in the FIR that her husband shared a familial relationship with Banerjee and Verma, who offered to fund his business project. Dey has 50 films to his credit.
"He is frequently approached by investors and lenders for his film projects, and in that capacity developed a close, almost a family relationship with Kunal and Puja, who had offered him to fund for his business project," the complaint reads.
She claimed that her husband was working on a script writing assignment and driving a rented car with his assistant in Goa on May 31 when he was abducted.
"On May 31, a black-coloured vehicle intercepted Shyam Sunder's car and he was abducted by goons, Puja Banerjee and Kothari. He was forcefully taken to an unknown location, where he was assaulted and tortured by Banerjee, Kunal Verma, and the hired goons," Malabika alleged.
The accused threatened the filmmaker with false implication in a narcotics case if he failed to pay ₹ 64 lakh.
"During this illegal confinement, the accused seized his two mobile phones, forcibly extracted his personal data and passwords, and threatened to misuse them," the FIR stated.
The victim was taken to a hotel where he was staying and then moved to an unknown villa on June 1.
Malabika alleged that her husband managed to arrange and pay approximately ₹ 23 lakh to the accused between May 31 and June 3 under immense mental pressure.
She wrote an email on June 3 to concerned senior police officers in Goa who managed to rescue her husband on June 4.