Bengaluru: Bollywood actor Sunny Leone was questioned by the crime branch of Kerala Police Saturday after a case of cheating was registered against her.
The complaint was filed by one Shiyas from Perumbavur who alleged that Leone accepted Rs 29 lakh as fee for attending a Valentine’s Day function in Angamaly in 2019, but failed to turn up.
Leone, who is on vacation in Kochi, told the crime branch officials that she couldn’t attend the event due to Covid pandemic.
“Ms Leone told us that the organisers rescheduled the event five times and could not conduct it as per their schedule. In her statement to the police on 3 February she said that the organisers of the event, as per the agreement, had promised to pay her Rs 12.5 lakh 10 days before the event. That was not paid as well,” a senior police official, who is part of the investigation, said.
Leone told officials that rescheduling of these events interfered with her schedule.
In 2019, Leone had tweeted that she wouldn’t be able to attend the event due to promoters “defaulting on their commitments”.
However, in his FIR, Shiyas, the event coordinator, alleged that Leone didn’t attend the programme “on purpose”.
‘WhatsApp messages being examined’
A senior crime branch official told ThePrint that Leone and the organisers are trying to reach an agreement where the actor could attend an event organised by them in the future.
Officials also said details of WhatsApp messages between Leone and the complainant are being accessed and examined to determine whether it qualifies as a criminal case of cheating.
In 2017 , when Leone arrived in Kochi for the inauguration of a mobile phone showroom, people turned up in large numbers to greet her.
She had posted a picture on Twitter with the caption: “No words…Can’t thank the people of Kochi. Was so overwhelmed by the love & support. Never will forget God’s own Country Kerala! Thank you(sic)”.
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