Rizvi, Shah chargesheeted

MUMBAI, MARCH 9. Coinciding with the commercial release of the film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke its producer Nasim Rizvi, his assistant Abdul Rahim Allah Baksh and financier, Bharat Shah, were today chargesheeted by police in a special court here in a case of alleged nexus with the underworld.

The chargesheet alleged that the accused had committed illegal acts and conspired to kill leading film maker Rakesh Roshan and actor Shahrukh Khan by issuing threats on Shakeel's cellphone to Morani brothers and Mansoor Siddiqui.

Siddiqui had paid Rs 25 lakhs extortion amount while Morani brothers had disbursed Rs. 75 lakhs to Shah which was sent to Shakeel by hawala, said the chargesheet running into 1156 pages.

The filing of the chargesheet coincided with the worldwide release of Chori Chori Chupke Chupke which has been attached by the court. Santosh Singh Jain, the court receiver, has already collected Rs 10.5 crores besides Rs. 4.5 crores earned by shah in under production stage.

The court issued proclamation orders against two absconding accused Chhota Shakeel and Anjum with whom Shah, Rizvi and Abdul Rahim had allegedly conspired to target Bollywood personalities for personal gains.

Shakeel, believed to be holed up in Karachi and Anjum have been asked by designated judge, Mr. A.P. Bhangale, to appear in person on March 30.

The investigating officer has been directed to find out the movable and immovable assets of the absconding accused to attach them if they did not appear before the court.

The chargesheet was filed within 87 days of Rizvi's arrest. It contains statements of 90 witnesses including film actors Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, producer Mansoor Siddiqui, directors Mahesh Manjrekar, abbas and Mastan, heroines Preeti Zinta and Rani Mukherjee.

The accused have been charged with IPC sections 120-B (conspiracy), 302 (murder) read with 115 (abetment) and 387 (extortion). Besides, they are charged with sections 3 and 4 of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

In a related development, Shah urged the court to inspect the documents and papers filed in this case.

He was claiming access to an application allegedly made by Co- accused Rizvi that third degree methods were used on him by police who also asked him to sign blank papers.

Protests against screening

Over 200 activists of Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bharatiya Yuva Morcha were rounded up in parts of Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai after they held demonstrations outside theatres, screening the film.

In Ujjain, about 180 activists of the three organisations demonstrated in front of two theatres, which subsequently cancelled the shows.

A report from Bhopal said 47 persons were rounded up from two theatres but the shows were not cancelled.

In Mumbai, six persons were detained in suburban Borivli when they assembled in front of a theatre and raised slogans. Four others were arrested in nearby Dahisar for the same offence. In neighbouring Thane theatre owners agreed not to screen the film following a protest Morcha by Shiv sainiks.

The protestors appealed to theatre authorities to stop the screening of the movie as it was allegedly funded by the underworld.

- PTI

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Next     : Jaswant Singh to visit U.S.