New Delhi, October 5th: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated an FIR against three individuals and unidentified Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) officials in response to actor Vishal’s allegations. Vishal claimed that he was compelled to pay Rs 6.5 lakh in order to secure a certification for his film “Mark Antony.” The CBI took action by conducting searches at four locations in Mumbai, including the premises associated with the named accused individuals in the FIR.
The FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) targets private individuals Merlin Menaga, Jeeja Ramdas, Rajan M, and unnamed public servants of the CBFC.
According to a CBI spokesperson, “It was alleged that during the month of September 2023, a private individual conspired with others to solicit a bribe of Rs 7 lakh to obtain the necessary censor certificate from CBFC, Mumbai, for a Hindi-dubbed movie.” The spokesperson further noted that, as part of this conspiracy, the accused initially demanded the bribe on behalf of CBFC-Mumbai officials, and after negotiations, the amount was reduced to Rs 6.54 lakh.
“Allegedly, she accepted Rs 6,54,000 as a bribe on behalf of CBFC, Mumbai officials, depositing the funds into the bank accounts of the other two accused. Subsequently, on September 26, 2023, the required certificate was purportedly issued by CBFC, Mumbai for the Hindi-dubbed movie. It was also alleged that, apart from the aforementioned sum, the accused received Rs 20,000 in her bank account from a private company as coordination fees,” the federal agency’s spokesperson stated in a release.
