CID: Bhanu helped Kalyan threaten Asfaq

HYDERABAD: The disgraced Tollywood producers- Singanamala Ramesh and Chillara Kalyan have told the Criminal Investigation Department officials that they deliberately did not give DVD and VCD rights of both Khaleja and Komaram Puli to Shalimar Video Company and Universal Home Entertainment, as the company representatives allegedly failed to pay the full agreed amount of Rs 52.50 lakh for each movie.CID officials said that Kalyan disclosed that it was one Panduranga Rao who introduced him to Ashraf of Shalimar Video Company and Asfaq of Universal Home Entertainment, who were interested to acquire the DVD and VCD rights of Khaleja and Komaram Puli. At the behest of his business partner Singanamala Ramesh, Kalyan negotiated the deal since the latter was busy in Chennai.Police said that during talks, Kalyan told both Ashraf and his son Asfaq that signing of agreement for the DVD and VCD rights will be made only after the full payment of Rs 52.50 lakh for each movie, prior to their release. Initially, two cheques of Rs 22.25 lakh each was paid while in next installment Rs 12.50 lakh cash was delivered twice. "The cheques were deposited in Vijaya Bank, Jubilee Hills branch and the amount was encashed and shared between Singanamala Ramesh and me. But since Ashraf and Asfaq failed to pay us the remaining money prior to the movies' release, which was a condition orally agreed upon, we decided not to sign the agreement. Till today the DVD and VCD rights are still with us," Kalyan told CID officials."When the complainant approached Kalyan for signing agreement rights for Komaram Puli and Khaleja in November 2010, the accused with help of Bhanu Kiran and others threatened Asfaq with dire consequences. When Asfaq again went in December, the accused Kalyan slapped him and showed Bhanu Kiran, the close associate of faction leader Maddelacheruvu Suri and warned him not to approach him again,'' additional director-general of police (CID), Ramana Murthy said. Meanwhile, it is learnt that Ramesh and Kalyan met each other on Saturday morning in Cherlapally jail, before Ramesh was taken to police custody. Nampally court has granted police custody of Ramesh for seven days.