Bombay HC orders trial court to release Rakesh Roshan's Rs 2 million in fake CBI officers case

Renowned Bollywood filmmaker Rakesh Roshan recently secured a legal victory as the Bombay High Court directed the return of Rs 2 million that was swindled from him in a scam dating back to 2011.

According to aIndia Today report, Roshan fell victim to a fraudulent scheme orchestrated by two individuals posing as CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) officers. The perpetrators duped the filmmaker of Rs 5 million in 2011, prompting him to file a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Mumbai after receiving no further communication.

The ACB subsequently apprehended the culprits, identified as Ashwini Sharma from Haryana and Rajesh Ranjan from Mumbai, who confessed to duping other film stars as well. The authorities seized their properties in Navi Mumbai, Haryana, and Dalhousie, totalling around Rs 29.4 million, along with some gold.

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Roshan filed an application in 2012 to reclaim his money, and in 2014, the trial court granted him the retrieval of Rs 3 million withholding the remaining Rs 2 million. Dissatisfied with this decision, Roshan took the matter to the Bombay High Court through his lawyer Prasanna Bhangale.

Bhangale argued that, according to CBI findings, one accused took Rs 2 million, and the other took Rs 3 million out of the total Rs 5 million. Despite the former giving a no-objection in the trial court for Roshan to receive the money, only Rs 3 million was awarded to the filmmaker. The lawyer emphasised that there was no justification for withholding the remaining amount.

The Bombay High Court, in its recent order, sided with Roshan, directing the return of the entire sum to the filmmaker. The court found no reason to withhold the additional Rs 2 million, bringing closure to this decade-old legal battle for the successful Bollywood director.