'Manjummel Boys' fraud: police arrests actor Soubin Shahir

Kochi: Actor Soubin Shahir has been arrested in the financial fraud case against him related to the production of the movie 'Manjummel Boys'. Although he was arrested, he will be released on bail as per a court order. The arrest is in a case filed by a person who had invested money in the film project, claiming he did not receive the film’s profit share nor his investment back.

Manjummel Boys is a hit film that grossed around Rs 200 crore. The film, written and directed by Chidambaram, was released in 2024 and received great acceptance both inside and outside Kerala. The case against Soubin and others is that the accused embezzled Rs 7 crore by promising a 40 per cent profit share of the movie.

The police have registered a case and are investigating it based on the complaint filed by Siraj Valiyathura, who alleged that he did not receive the profit or investment after investing in the film. The police informed the court that there was clear evidence that the accused committed the crime. The court had initially rejected the request to quash the case, saying that the case was registered on a complaint regarding a serious crime.

However, the accused argued that Siraj had to suffer heavy losses because he did not pay the money due for the film on time. It was also argued that the shoot schedules were delayed and the shooting was delayed because the money was not received on time.

The Kerala High Court had earlier granted anticipatory bail to the accused. While granting anticipatory bail, the High Court had directed that there was no need to question them in custody and that they themselves should appear for questioning. The court had also directed the police to release them on bail as soon as they were arrested.