Director arrested in Rs 4 crore fraud case linked to film Abhilasham in Kochi

KOCHI: Kochi City police arrested a film director on charges of financial fraud and criminal breach of trust, following a complaint by the producer of his film. Shamzu Zayba, also known as Shamsudeen, director of Abhilasham, was taken into custody by Hill Palace police in Tripunithura.The arrest followed a complaint filed by the film's producer, Ann Sariga Antony, a native of Tripunithura from ‘Second Show Productions', who alleged that she suffered losses amounting to Rs 4 crore due to the actions of the director and others associated with the project. According to FIR, the director assured the producer that the film could be completed within a budget of Rs 2.25 crore. However, the complainant alleged that the production was deliberately delayed, leading to an expenditure of Rs 3.25 crore. FIR further stated that hard disks containing the film's final work were allegedly misused, and the completed master print was taken into the director's possession, with the assistance of others, without the producer's consent. The complaint claimed a direct financial loss of Rs 97 lakh and an anticipated business loss to the production house of Rs 2 crore, bringing the total alleged loss to around Rs 4 crore. Tripunithura police registered a case on charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation, as well as relevant sections of Copy Right Act 1957 (Amendment 2012). The producer filed a formal complaint not only against the director but also against crew members Mohammed Bilal, Mohammed Salman, Bilal Rasheed, Nimal Naseer and distribution company Qube Cinema Technologies. "The investigation is in the initial phase. The individual would be interrogated further to understand the merits of the case," a senior police officer said. Abhilasham, which was released on an OTT platform, featured Saiju Kurup and Tanvi Ram in the lead roles.