Goa cops book actor Puja Banerjee, Kunal Verma for allegedly abducting and extorting money from Bengali filmmaker

Goa Police booked the actor couple, Piyush Kothari, and others on the charges of kidnapping, assault, and extortion.

Goa Police have registered an FIR against TV actor couple Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma for allegedly abducting and extorting money from Bengali filmmaker Shyam Sunder Dey, officials said on Saturday.

An FIR was initially registered at Panache police station in Kolkata on June 12 against the actor couple on the complaint of Dey's wife Malabika. The case was transferred to Calangute Police in North Goa as the purported incident had occurred in their jurisdiction, an official said.

Goa Police booked the actor couple, Piyush Kothari, and others on the charges of kidnapping, assault, and extortion.

The 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.

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 Rs 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 Rs 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.