Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, two others booked for duping producer Vashu Bhagnani of Rs 9 cr

Mumbai, Dec 9 (PTI) Film director Ali Abbas Zafar and two others were booked for allegedly duping producer Vashu Bhagnani of Rs 9 crore, a police official said on Monday.

As per the First Information Report registered on Sunday, Zafar and his associates Himanshu Mehre and Ekesh Randive are accused of siphoning off money, the Bandra police station official said.

The case was registered on the directions of the court, the official informed. Zafar, Mehra and Randive have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 471 (fraud), 500 (defamation) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

Bhagnani had moved the Bandra magistrate court seeking a case against Zafar, who directed “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan” starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, which released on April 11 this year. It was produced by Bhagnani’s Pooja Entertainment.

In the order of December 2, the magistrate held the offences were cognisable and non-bailable, the official said.

In his statement to police, Bhagnani claimed the trio had inked a Rs 154 crore agreement for the film, but took Rs 230 crore claiming it had gone over-budget.

Bhagnani claimed the trio made fake invoices and siphoned off Rs 9 crore.

The court noted that the trio lured Bhagnani into paying various amounts from time to time and in breach of contract incurred additional expenses and did not provide any account of these expenses, the official said.

No arrest has been made in the case and further probe is underway, the official added.