TV actors Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma accuse producer Shyam Sundar Dey of Rs1.68 crore fraud

Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma

TV couple Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma have recently faced financial woes amid an ongoing dispute with Bengali producer Shyam Sundar Dey. They have accused the producer of duping them of Rs 1.68 crore.

During a recent press conference held in Mumbai, Puja and Kunal claimed that they had raised the amount through mortgaging property, taking personal loans, and even pawning jewellery. The funds were intended to help Shyam secure distribution rights for 16 film projects.

Puja further claimed during the conference that she knew Shaym for four years. She had collaborated with Shyam on a Bengali film, but she never received full payment.

The actress further confessed that she initially overlooked the pending payments due to empathy when Shyam claimed personal difficulties. The couple became close friends with Shaym when he shifted to Mumbai and expressed his wish to enter the Hindi film industry.

Shaym also allegedly proposed an attractive deal centred around acquiring multiple film projects, stating it would require an investment of Rs 2.25 crore.

The couple further claimed that Shyam had emotional pressure on them to invest their own money when they failed to find outside investors. They wanted to help the producer and trusted them. They allegedly borrowed nearly Rs 1 crore from family and friends.

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Puja and Kunal further suggested that actor Arjun Bijlani also contributed. In total, they gave Shyam Rs 1.68 crore. They raised this money by mortgaging Kunal’s parents’ flat and using their own savings.

In May, they tried to resolve things privately in Goa. But instead of finding a solution, they were shocked when Shyam’s wife, Malabika Dey, filed a police complaint accusing them of kidnapping, extortion, and assault. They strongly deny these allegations.

Puja said they stayed in a villa arranged by Shyam because they couldn’t afford a hotel. He even gave them Rs 10 lakh, which gave them some hope. Still, an FIR was filed, followed by a zero FIR in Kolkata, which was later transferred to the Goa police.