The City Crime Branch (CCB) of the Coimbatore City Police on Wednesday arrested Malayalam film producer Johny Thomas, popularly known by his production-cum-distribution house name Johny Sagariga.
Officers attached to the CCB said Thomas is accused of cheating an NRI Dwarak Uthayashankar of Vadavalli in Coimbatore, who resides in Canada, of ₹2.75 crore.
According to the CCB, Thomas was stopped by Immigration officials at the Cochin International Airport on Tuesday, when he came to board a flight to Dubai. A lookout circular had been issued against him, after he failed to respond to multiple summons served by the CCB.
He was handed over to the Nedumbassery police, who in turn alerted the CCB officers. A team of CCB personnel rushed to Nedumbassery and brought him to Coimbatore. Thomas was arrested on Wednesday, said a senior police officer.
As per the complaint lodged by Mr. Uthayashankar against Thomas and his son Ron Johny Thomas in March, the cheated amount was invested by Thomas for the production of his 2018 movie titled Nonsense. The alleged transaction took place in 2016 and 2017, the official added.
His label Johny Sagariga Audio shot to fame in the 1990s by bringing out audio cassettes of Malayalam film songs, including popular numbers. He also produced movies and distributed many, including Body Guard, Niram, Vadakkumnadhan, and 4 The People.
