Crime Today News
Filmmaker Manish Gupta, best known for his directorial projects like Rahasya, The Stoneman Murders, 420 IPC and One Friday Night and writing films like Sarkar and SECTION 375, recently found himself in a legal soup. His driver allegedly accused the filmmaker of stabbing him with a kitchen knife over a salary dispute. The driver, named Mohammed Lashkar, filed an FIR with the police, following which Gupta was booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections. Days after the incident came to light, Gupta has now broken his silence and shared his side of the story.
Manish Gupta accused of stabbing driver
According to Versova police, the incident took place following an argument over Lashkar`s salary at Gupta`s office located in Andheri West at 8.30 pm on June 5th. Lashkar, who served as Gupta`s driver for three years until his May 30 termination, reportedly claimed his Rs 23,000 salary was outstanding. Lashkar, in hia statement, noted, “There have been instances when the film director used to indulge in a fight whenever I asked for my salary, which was never paid on time. This time he removed me from the job when I asked for my April month`s salary, which was yet to be paid.”
View this post on Instagram
The matter is currently underway to ascertain what exactly happened that night. PSI Nikam from Versova Police Station reportedly told Bombay Times, “The investigation is underway. We were at Gupta`s office on June 7 for the punchnama after the FIR was filed on June 6. He has been issued a notice according to Section 35 of the BNSS, 2023 (this mandates that before arresting a person accused of an offence punishable with imprisonment for up to seven years, the police shall issue a written notice directing the person to appear before them for investigation). He also came to the police station to provide evidence and CCTV footage. We are looking into the case.”
Manish Gupta`s statement
Now, Manish Gupta has dismissed the allegations. During an exclusive interview with Bombay Times, he claimed, “It`s a false FIR, filed with an intent of extorting money, systematically played out under the guidance of a criminal lawyer.” He added, “We are going to initiate criminal proceedings against Lashkar and put him behind bars. I want to expose these false FIRs racket.”
Narrating the incident, the Rahasya director recalled, “He has been working for me for three years. On June 5, around 8.30 pm in my office, he started this bawaal to provoke me. It was very illogical. He wanted to quit my job. I had paid him an advance (Rs 41,500), which was much more than his monthly salary. This has been acknowledged by him on paper. I told him, if you`re quitting, obviously, the advance is going to be deducted from your salary. That didn`t go down well with him, and this was his way of extorting money from me. I asked him to drop my car keys and leave. He left in a lift and while exiting the lift, held his hand over his stomach as if he was covering a wound; no blood stain is visible in the CCTV footage. The other footage, which captures him walking away, shows how normal he seems while walking away.”
View this post on Instagram
The filmmaker added, “I am sure he went to his people, inflicted a harmless injury to himself and then went to the cops at 2 am. Why didn`t he go to the cops directly? He tried to create this chain of events. When the cops came over to my office the next day to investigate, they also called him. he`s walking, holding his stomach, taking the support of some other guy, and he`s walking half a step at a time. His actions looked staged. The cops didn`t find any kitchen knife because I don`t have a kitchen in my office. You just get tea, coffee, and biscuits. He needed the money badly for his house and daughter`s education, and on humanitarian grounds, I gave him the advance, and this is how he repays me.”
“I have given my statement to the police. The evidence that I showed you has also been given to the police. In a nutshell, this is a false FIR filed with the intention of extorting money. It has been systematically played out under the guidance of a criminal lawyer. My lawyer is Dinesh Tiwari, and we are going to initiate criminal proceedings against this person. The CCTV footage of seconds after the incident clearly shows he is walking very normally, very casually and not at all like a person who has been attacked with a knife, as he is claiming. It is very clear evidence of his lying, and he has inflicted this injury on himself later in order to build some sort of circumstance to file a false FIR. I want to expose this false FIR racket,” Gupta concluded.
📰 Crime Today News is proudly sponsored by DRYFRUIT & CO – A Brand by eFabby Global LLC
Design & Developed by Yes Mom Hosting
