Guess who could be the next guest entry into the Bigg Boss house? Cops.
Close on the heels of recent entrants like Siddharth Bhardwaj and Amar Upadhyay, it is officers from the Mumbai Police who could be knocking on the door of the nation's most watched house. And the only luggage they will be carrying is a court summons for Upadhyay, who is the newest member of the house.
Upadhyay, who became a small-screen idol after his portrayal of Mihir Virani in the TV soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, is being summoned by an Udaipur court for his role -- real, not reel -- in a cheating case.
According to sources, Upadhyay had floated a company called Mihir Virani Multitrade Pvt Ltd, in Malad (West), which followed the finance chain-membership system. According to police sources, he named the firm after his screen name, in the hope of using its popularity to attract more investors.
The complainant in the case, Udaipur-based Harinarayan Soni, had reportedly invested in the company, and earned profits worth Rs 7 lakh in 2001.
The cheque issued eight years later by Upadhyay's company, however, bounced. Soni then approached the police, and subsequently filed a court case. The Udaipur court then issued the first summons for the actor one-and-a-half years ago, asking him to be present in court.
After the summons was issued, the Bangur Nagar police delivered it to Upadhyay's Malad office. However, no one was present at the office to receive the document.
Consequently, Upadhyay missed his
first hearing, forcing the court to delay proceedings on the case. This will be the second summons for Upadhyay, and the cops will have to make a trip to the Bigg Boss house to deliver it."If we receive the summons, we will deliver it to Upadhyay, no matter where he is, " said an officer from the Bangur Nagar police station.
The other side
When contacted, Dale Bhagwagar, Upadhyay's PRO, denied the accusation, saying, "To my knowledge, Amar resigned from the company on Dec 23, 2003. After making a clean exit, he has not been part of its transactions.
Someone could be trying to make him a soft target in order to gain publicity. He is currently confined within the walls of the Bigg Boss house and is cut off from the world."
The case
According to Harinarayan's complaint, he had invested in the company in 2001. He also roped in 12 new members for the firm, which earned him benefits amounting to Rs 7 lakh.
It allegedly took the firm eight years to deliver the cheque, which, moreover bounced. Failing to receive any response from the company officials, Harinarayan approached the court and the summons was issued.
