Berhampur: Owner of a cinema hall in Odisha has been arrested for allegedly defrauding Mumbai-based proprietor of a film c
ompany of Rs 39 lakh about three years back.
The accused has been identified as Rajesh Sharma (45), a resident of Rourkela.
According to police sources, he was arrested from his residence at Mahulapalli in Rourkela’s Plant Site police limits on Saturday based on a complaint lodged by Sarju Ramesh Chandra Shah, proprietor of the film company. Financial documents and mobile phone of Sharma have also been seized.
The fraud pertains to an advanced sound system, which the complainant had installed in three screens in the cinema hall at Old Bus Stand area in Berhampur at a cost of Rs 39 lakh, in accordance with an agreement with the accused in 2022. Sharma, however, failed to pay despite repeated demands. He issued cheques which bounced due to insufficient funds.
Shah reported the matter at Berhampur town police, which registered a cheating case and arrested the accused after a thorough investigation, which revealed that he was involved in at least seven cheque bounce cases earlier.