A sessions court in Mumbai has rejected the anticipatory bail of a realtor couple Pronit Prem Nath and Amisha Pronit Nath, as they were accused of cheating actress Karishma Tanna’s husband Varun Bangera and actor, host Samir Kochhar. According to the reports by the Free Press Journal, the couple cheated them of Rs 1.03 crores under the pretext of selling them flat in 2021.
The FPJ quoted the court stating that the anticipatory bail is being denied as the ‘deception and fraudulent intention’ of the accused are apparently clear. The media publication quoted the court stating, “From the allegations, it appears that the applicants/accused have systematically planned to obtain the initial amount from the informant, used it for their own purposes, and subsequently denied selling the flat to the informant. Thus, the deception and fraudulent intention on the part of applicants/accused are apparently clear.”
For the unversed, Pronit and Amisha were booked by the Amboli police station after the 43-year-old actor filed a complaint against them. According to the reports, Samir and Tanna’s husband were searching for properties in December 2020. It was during that time that they came to know about Nath’s plan to build a four-floor building in Pali Village, Bandra, Mumbai, and later sell it. After the meeting, they decided to buy a flat each for Rs 1.95 crores and Rs 90 lakhs respectively.
According to the media publication, Samir gave them a cheque of Rs 11 lakhs and Varun gave them a flat of Rs 19.85 lakhs as token amounts. In total the actor paid Rs 58.50 lakhs and the actress’ husband paid Rs 44.66 lakhs to the accused. Naths had even proceeded to assure them after they found that the plot was mortgaged to a financial company. They told the complainants that the flats would be sold to them after clearing the mortgage. The Naths requested them to sign the Memorandum of Understanding, which was done on March 30, 2021.
In June 2023, the accused informed the complaints that they no longer wanted to sell the property and intended to keep it for themselves, following which Kochar filed a case. While Nath’s lawyer argued that there was no criminal intent on the part of his clients, the television host’s lawyer Prerak Chaudhary submitted all the relevant documents including the proof of payments, Memorandum of Understanding as well as a copy of the suit institute for the ‘specific performance of the agreement.’ After reviewing all the documents and arguments, the court determined that further investigation and custodial interrogation were necessary.
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