Goons throw out actor for asking refund of flat's security deposit

The family is residing in the open space of the society. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Local goons of the owner of a Malad West apartment have thrown out actor Anup Shukla and his family from the rented place, just because he asked the former to return the hefty security deposit of Rs 23 lakh that he had paid when the rent agreement was made.

As per the agreement, Shukla could stay in the apartment till February 11, 2017, and hence, had been asking for the refund from his landlord Jayesh Kandolia, so that he could vacate the premises. "We have been forced to put up at the common space of the society," said an aggrieved Shukla.

Advance notice
Speaking to mid-day, the actor said, "I had sent an advance notice to the landlord on January 18, 2017, regarding a refund of the deposit. When I did not get any response from Kandolia, I sent another mail to him on March 4, 2018."

Soon after Kandolia and his father Himmatlal approached Shukla and offered to sell the flat to him for Rs70 lakh. "On one hand they offered to sell the house to me, on the other they showed the property to other parties as well," said Shukla. Meanwhile, the actor filed a suit in Dindoshi court on October 30, 2018, with a plea that "no third party right on the flat should be created".

Of late, on December 4, when Anup's elder daughter was alone in the house, five eunuchs arrived at their doorstep. "First, they enquired if there was any newborn in the house. When I said no, they asked for a glass of water. To offer them water when I opened the safety door, suddenly 25 people forcefully entered the flat and started ransacking the furniture. One of them asked for the keys to the locker, but when I refused, he threatened to hit me," said Shukla's elder daughter. She further mentioned that they threw their belongings out of the house and even broke the dining table.

After the goons left the house, she called up her father and narrated the incident to him. "I immediately called the police control room and the cops reached the spot within 40 minutes," said Shukla, who registered a complaint at the Malwani police station on December 4 against Kandolia and others.

Landlord arrested
The cops arrested Kandolia on December 5 after Shukla met senior officers, including Additional Commissioner of Police Rajesh Pradhan and Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police Sangramsinh Nishandar. "Kandolia has been arrested for trespassing and other charges as well," said Malwani Senior Inspector Deepak Phatangare.

However, Kandolia's advocate Sandeep Kedare told mid-day that Shukla's family refused to vacate the flat and they had even demanded Rs30 lakh when Kandolia, when the father-son duo met him in 2017. "Shukla's family is making baseless allegations," he added.

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