Kochi: Actor Soubin Shahir has been arrested in connection with the Manjummel Boys financial fraud case. The arrests of Babu Shahir and Shawn Antony have also been recorded. This action by the Maradu Police comes after two days of questioning. As they had secured anticipatory bail from the High Court, all three were released on bail immediately after their arrest.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Siraj Valiyaveettil, a native of Aroor, Alappuzha. Siraj’s complaint alleged that the producers took money from him, promising 40 percent of the film’s profits, and then inflated the production costs.
Siraj had stated that he paid ₹7 crore based on a declared production cost of ₹22 crore. However, a police report indicates that the claim of ₹22 crore expenditure is false, and that the producers did not invest a single rupee of their own money into the film.
The report further states that only ₹18.65 crore was spent on the film, and despite the film being a blockbuster hit, Parava Film Company has not returned any part of the money taken from the complainant.
However, the accused producers contend that Siraj failed to provide the promised money on time, which led to disruptions in shooting schedules, resulting in significant financial losses. They argue that this is why the remaining amount was not paid to Siraj.
