Kolkata: Renowned Bengali film director Shrikant Mohta was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday for allegedly defrauding ponzi chit fund company Rose Valley.
It has been alleged by the investigating agency that Mohta has duped Rose Valley chief Gautam Kundu by taking Rs 24 crore for the making of several films.
However, a statement from Shree Venkatesh Films said: "CBI has, in the past few months, called Shrikant Mohta for investigation in the Rose Valley Chit fund matter as a witness, owing to past business transactions between SVF and Brand Value (a Rose Valley Group company) and on account of past legal cases on the same matter, where the High Court of Kolkata had quashed all charges alleged against Mohta and the same was affirmed by the Supreme Court of India."
It further maintained: " Mohta appeared before CBI twice in the past as a witness and fully cooperated with the investigation. However, on account of personal reasons, he was not able to appear before CBI in the month of January. This was communicated to the CBI with a request to grant him time of 15 days. Mohta even offered his cooperation to CBI in the interim period by requesting them to provide any information required by the CBI from him."
Mohta is the co-founder of Shree Venkatesh Films, which has produced over 120 films.
Chokher Bali, Raincoat, Memories In March, Autograph, Iti Mrinalini, Baishey Srabon and Hemlock Society.
According to the CBI, investigation has revealed that in pursuance of criminal conspiracy with said group of companies, the accused allegedly misappropriated Rs 24 crore (approx) in the name of producing films and siphoned off this money illegally collected by the said ponzi scheme company from the residents of Bengal, Assam, Odisha and elsewhere. It was further alleged that he invested part of funds in procurement of paintings through a private film company and he also foisted other accused persons in ponzi scheme cases to make similar purchases. The private group of the chit fund company had collected Rs 15,000 crore(approx) from public.
It has been alleged that as Mohta did not respond to the summons that were issued, CBI sleuths on Thursday raided Mohta's company SVF Entertainment Private Limited's Kasba office.
Mohta was detained from his office amid much drama. When the CBI arrived at his office, he reportedly called up the local police station and complained that some hooligans were creating a disturbance outside his office. The police rushed in only to realise that it was a full-fledged CBI operation.
Mohta was questioned for almost two-and-a-half-hours there. Later he was taken to the CGO Complex in Salt Lake for interrogation and eventually detained. He was arrested later in the day.
Mohta will be produced before the Court of Special CJM, CBI Cases, Bhubaneswar, on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday criticised the arrest of Mohta and said "no one is being spared in the Narendra Modi regime".
"They are arresting and are trying to intimidate everybody. Be it a writer, an actor, a film personality.... They don't want to spare anyone. The people will give them a befitting reply," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.
The BJP has turned the CBI into their extended party office, Chatterjee claimed.
Senior TMC leaders also alleged that the BJP is trying to pursue its vendetta politics through these arrests.
SVF has denied the accusations and raised an objection. "We have full faith in the judiciary and it remains our endeavour to support and cooperate with the enforcement agencies in the course of their investigation," a release said.