CBI Arrests Bengal Film Producer in Rose Valley Case
Bengal film producer Shrikant Mohta was on Thursday arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the multi-crore rupee Rose Valley Chit Fund scam, an official said.
"Mohta has been arrested following interrogation in connection with the Rose Valley Chit fund scam as the officials concerned found many of his statements unsatisfactory," a senior CBI official told IANS.
Mohta is the co-founder of Shree Venkatesh Films (SVF), which has produced over 120 films, including 'Chokher Bali' and 'Memories in March'.
The officials first interrogated Mohta at his office at a lavish south Kolkata complex and later took him to the agency's office in Salt Lake for further interrogation where he was arrested.
He is likely to be taken to Bhubaneswar and produced before a court on Friday.
The CBI had attached assets including resorts, hotels, land parcels worth Rs 2,300 crore across districts of West Bengal.
The agency has been probing the diversion of funds from the Rose Valley Group's deposit-taking companies.
Under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency had registered an FIR against the company and Chairman Gautam Kundu in 2014, who was arrested the next year.
The CBI had recovered incriminating documents, gold ornaments and precious stones worth Rs 40 crore during searches at showrooms at a jewellery house in the ponzi scheme.
Dia Mirza, Neha Dhupia to Mentor Miss India Contestants
Former Miss Asia Pacific Dia Mirza and Femina Miss India 2002 Neha Dhupia will mentor contestants of fbb Colors Femina Miss India 2019.
The winner will represent India at the Miss World pageant. The others too stand a chance to represent the country at international pageants like Miss Grand International and Miss United Continents.
The top three contestants from every state will win a Golden Ticket to the State's Zonal crowning ceremony which will be held in Bengaluru (South Zone) on February 24, Delhi (North Zone) on March 6, Pune (West Zone) on April 2, and Kolkata (East Zone) on April 23. Each state winner will make it to the grand finale which will be held in June.
But before that, they will undergo rigorous training. The East and West Zones will be handled by Neha and Dia will take charge of the North and South Zones.
"Miss India created a paradigm shift in my life and I hope the same for these girls too. The legacy of Miss India is extraordinary, I will give my best from my end to girls to achieve their dreams and discover themselves," Dia said in a statement.
Neha, who was a mentor last year as well, shared that she started her journey with Miss India and since then it has been a never-ending relationship with the pageant.
"Every year, I see a fresh lot of ambitious and enthusiastic girls with the dream to win Miss India and make India proud at the prestigious Miss World," she said.
'Suits' to Wrap With Season Nine
Gabriel Macht's Suits has been renewed for Season 9 - the shows last.
The NBCUniversal-owned basic cable network has renewed the legal drama from Aaron Korsh for an abbreviated ninth and final season. The final round of 10 episodes will air sometime this year, reports hollywoodreporter.com.
The decision to wrap up the series arrives as showrunner/creator Korsh has Pearson, a spinoff fronted by original star Gina Torres. A premiere date for the spinoff has yet to be determined.
The second half of season eight of Suits premiered internationally on Wednesday. The show airs in India on Comedy Central.
Bombay High Court Gives 'Manikarnika' the Go Ahead
The Bombay High Court has refused to stay the release of Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi after receiving a petition from a Vivek Tambe that alleged that the film has misrepresented historical facts and shown Rani Laxmibai’s character in an objectionable manner.
The period drama follows the story of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi and is set to release on 25 January. It has been directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi and Kangana Ranaut and stars Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Atul Kulkarni, Suresh Oberoi and Danny Denzongpa.
Boman Irani Launches Production House Irani Movietone
Boman Irani has launched his own production house named Irani Movietone. The official logo of the company was unveiled at an event in Mumbai by Amitabh Bachchan, who was felicitated by Boman and his wife Zenobia. Also present was Alexander Dinelaris, screenwriter of Birdman.
Read more on The Quint.