Days after an FIR was filed against her and husband Kunal Verma, actress Puja Banerjee has broken her silence for the first time. Taking to social media, she expressed heartbreak over the allegations, calling them baseless and false.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Puja wrote, “Going through the toughest time of our lives. To those who are standing by us — we will be forever grateful. And to those who believe in the lies being spread against us, God bless them too. I believe in God, and you know — GOD IS WATCHING.”
The allegations
Earlier this month, Bengali film producer Shyam Sunder Dey accused Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma of kidnapping him in Goa and extorting Rs 23 lakh. According to Dey, Puja was like a sister to him, which made the alleged threats for money even more shocking. He further claimed that Kunal, along with a group of men, physically assaulted him in Puja’s presence and confiscated his phone. A separate phone was allegedly kept with him solely for the purpose of transferring the extorted amount.
Dey said he was rescued on June 4, after his wife Malabika Dey alerted the police. He had managed to use the spare phone to send his live location and a video he secretly recorded in a bathroom to help authorities trace him.
Legal action and charges
Following the complaint, an FIR was filed against Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — the new criminal code replacing the IPC. The couple has been charged under provisions related to abduction, extortion, criminal intimidation, and wrongful confinement.
Financial troubles and new twists
Interestingly, these accusations surfaced just days after Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma revealed that they had lost all their savings due to a financial fraud involving a close friend. While the couple did not name anyone at the time, speculation around the connection between the two events quickly grew.
Story continues below this ad
Soon after, Shyam Sunder Dey’s wife Malabika Dey took to Facebook, publicly sharing disturbing details of what she described as a “betrayal and a breach of trust” by close friends. Her post read: “This incident is not just a serious crime; it is a betrayal and a breach of trust toward a friend. In addition to the physical and mental abuse on Shyam, our entire family is suffering immense emotional trauma. We are following legal recourse and have complete faith in the judicial system. I urge all members of the creative community to remain vigilant.”
She further alleged that Shyam was threatened with being falsely implicated in a drug case if he failed to pay an additional Rs 64 lakh.
