FIR filed against Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma for allegedly kidnapping and extorting money from Bengali film producer

Hindustan Times

8 hours ago

Days after actor-couple Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma said that they were the target of a financial fraud, Bengali film producer Shyam Sunder Dey has now accused them of kidnapping him in Goa, physical assault and extortion of money. An FIR was filed against the duo by Shyam's wife, Malabika Dey. (Also Read | Actors Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma lose all savings after fraud by close friend: 'Zero pe laake khada kar diya hai')
As per a Times of India report, Shyam said after his family left, he decided to stay back in Goa for some work. Shyam alleged that one day when he was driving a rented car, a black Jaguar "came out of nowhere and forced me to a halt". Two men then asked him to step out of his car but he refused. But after noticing Puja was there, he let his "guard down, thinking this must be a misunderstanding".
Shyam said he was taken to Amber Villa and was initially kept on the first floor and then shifted upstairs. He accused Kunal of beating him and Puja of not helping despite his pleadings. "I stayed at the villa from the 1st to the 4th of June. I wasn't allowed to leave. Every day, I tried to reason with Puja and Kunal — I reminded them we were like family and pleaded with them to stop. But all I faced were threats. I told her, 'Your husband is beating me, fine. But other men are thrashing me in front of you, and you're silent?' How can this be right?" Shyam told Times of India.
"I am not saying that the money they demanded was compensation for the abduction. Yes, we had professional transactions. But no business loss, no due payment can justify this kind of madness. Abduction or kidnapping can never be a fair or lawful way to settle anything. There is no excuse for what happened," he added.
Taking to Facebook, Malabika shared a detailed note on what happened, including claims of physical and mental assault on Shyam. "This incident is not just a serious crime, it is a betrayal and a breach of trust towards a friend. In addition to physical and mental abuse on Shyam, our entire family is suffering deep mental damage from this incident. We are tackling the legal way and have full confidence in the judicial system. I urge all creative society members to be alert," she wrote.
Malabika said that Shyam was threatened with his involvement in a drug case if he didn't pay around ₹64 lakh. She wrote that Shyam paid ₹23 lakh, including cash, to "Puja's assistant Munmun in Kolkata and RTGS transfer to Puja and Kunal's bank accounts". She also shared pictures of the FIR copy, WhatsApp chats, and financial documents of the transactions.
In her post in Bengali, Malabika wrote, "More horrible aspects of this incident: Puja and Kunal snatched Shyam's mobile phones, forcefully collected his personal information and passwords. They recorded multiple videos with Sham, where he was forced to say and sign printed paper that he voluntarily stayed at Amber Villa Resort."
She added that with the help of the Goa Police, Shyam was rescued safely. An FIR was filed against Puja and Kunal under Section 126(2), 137(2), 140(2), 308(2), 115(2), 351(3), 61(2) & 3(5).
Recently, in an interview with ETimes, Puja had said, 'These past 2-3 months have been extremely difficult for us, and we have no idea what will happen next. We have been victims of a fraudulent financial scam and we lost a huge amount…We lost all our savings in this fraud.'
Puja and Kunal had said that the person was close to them. "When you trust someone for the past 3 years... Has been with you, became a part of your home and family..." Kunal had said.