Sandalwood actor Radhika Kumaraswamy on Friday appeared before the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru after investigation officials found monetary transactions between the actor and the prime accused in a cheating case. In December last year, the CCB had arrested 52-year-old Yuvaraj alias Swamy for allegedly posing as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker and cheating government job aspirants of several lakh rupees. Radhika Kumaraswamy was summoned by the CCB, which found monetary transactions worth Rs 75 lakh between her and Yuvaraj.
The CCB claimed that the money had been transferred by Yuvaraj to Radhika. In a press conference held on Wednesday, the actor said that she had known Yuvaraj for the last 17 years and that he had approached her to act in the lead role in a period drama. Radhika said that Yuvaraj was also her family's astrologer and that his predictions about her life, career and also her father's death, had come true. She said that she had deeply trusted Yuvaraj and was shocked when she learned of his arrest last year.
On December 16, 2020, the CCB said that it had seized 100 cheques worth Rs 91 crore from Yuvaraj's residence after his arrest.
"Yuvaraj owns a production company and he had approached me to act in a role for a historical movie. Since I have known him for 17 years, I immediately agreed to it. He said that he would send me an advance of Rs 15 lakh, which he transferred from his account to me," Radhika Kumaraswamy said. When asked about the rest of the money, she said that Rs 60 lakh was transferred to her allegedly from Yuvaraj's brother-in-law's account.
The money was transferred to Radhika Kumaraswamy's account between February and March 2020. The actor said that due to the pandemic and the lockdown, she had not questioned Yuvaraj regarding the shooting of the film. "Yuvaraj had predicted my father's death several years ago. He also predicted what would happen in my life, career and other things that have come true. We have been in contact ever since my father's death. It was because of this trust that I agreed to taking up the role in his film," she said.
CCB sleuths claimed that Radhika Kumaraswamy and Yuvaraj had not signed any written agreement for her remuneration for the alleged film that the accused was to produce. "In many of my movies, I accept payment because of the trust I place with the producers. I have not signed agreements in the past. Here too, I did not sign an agreement because I trusted him. My accountant asked me to have an agreement drawn up this time. I called him multiple times but I did not receive a response. I was shocked when he was arrested, that such a respected person could cheat so many people. It was hard for me to believe," she added.