A man named Siraj had filed a petition in court alleging Manjummel Boys' makers cheated him by failing to repay the amount they borrowed.
Published Nov 28, 2024 | 6:19 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 28, 2024 | 6:19 PM
Soubin Shahir. (Supplied)
The Income Tax (IT) department raided the office of Malayalam actor Soubin Shahir in Kochi on Thursday, 28 November. Simultaneous searches were carried out at multiple locations, including the offices of Parava Films and Dream Big Distributors in Pulleppady.
IT raids were conducted based on an earlier probe by the ED,launched based on alleged discrepancies in the company’s financial transactions involving the blockbuster movie Manjummel Boys. Soubin Shahir played the lead role in the movie with Sreenath Bhasi and he was also the movie’s producer.
The investigation, led by officials from the IT department’s Kochi unit, reportedly centres on financial transactions linked to the production and distribution company. The raid began around noon on Thursday, 28 November and was underway in the evening.
Further details about the raid are awaited.
The IT raids follow the earlier probe by the ED against the production company. The ED officials in July 2024, filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against the producers and issued notices to the founders of Parava Films—Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shawn Antony—to appear for interrogation.
According to the reports from July, the makers did not respond, prompting the investigation agency to file another summons. Shawn Antony was reportedly summoned by the ED for questioning, while Soubin Shahir and his father Babu Shahir were expected to be summoned soon.
In 2023, the ED began investigating cases of money laundering and black money in the Malayalam film industry. Following reports of black money transactions, the ED conducted raids at the offices of several production houses to probe these allegations.
According to reports, Manjummel Boys grossed more than ₹220 crore at the box office. However, trouble arose for the producers when they faced allegations in a cheating case. The Ernakulam Maradu police registered a case against producers Shawn Antony, Soubin Shahir, and Babu Shahir in April this year, following a directive from the Ernakulam First Class Magistrate Court.
Siraj, a resident of Aroor, filed a petition in court alleging that the makers of Manjummel Boys cheated him by failing to repay the amount they borrowed from him.
According to his petition, the makers approached him for investment in the film’s production, promising him a 40 percent share in profits, post-release. Siraj entered into an agreement with Parava Film Company on 30 November 2022 to invest ₹7 crore in various instalments.
Siraj alleged that he was misled by the producers into believing they had invested ₹22 crore in the film, when in fact, the actual investment was only ₹10 crore.
He further claimed that the producers failed to fulfil their promise of sharing profits or repaying the invested amount. Siraj accused the producers of deceiving him by falsely stating that the first shooting schedule had been completed when it had not yet begun.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
