Nearly three days after leading art director and production designer Nitin Desai’s dead body was found at his ND Studio in Raigad district, an FIR has been lodged against five officials of Edelweiss Group and ECL Finance and they have been booked for abetment to suicide.
Desai’s debts have crossed a whopping Rs 250 crore.
The body of Desai was found hanging in one of the facilities - Studio No. 10 The Big Floor- of the ND Studio at Khalapur near Karjat in the Raigad district on August 2. His last rites were held on Friday.
The post-mortem was conducted on August 3 at the Sir JJ Hospital in Byculla, Mumbai - which confirmed death by hanging.
He would have turned 58 on August 5.
Raigad’s Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge is personally overseeing the investigation.
The Khalapur police initially registered an accidental death report (ADR) and have now registered a first information report (FIR).
The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (common intention) based on a complaint filed by Desai's wife Neha Desai, who has alleged that her husband was facing repeated mental harassment in connection with the loans his company had taken and this was the reasons for his ending life.
Desai’s company, ND’s Art World Pvt Ltd had borrowed Rs 185 crore through two loans from ECL Finance (a leading NBFC, promoted by the Edelweiss Group) in 2016 and 2018, and troubles with repayments started in January 2020. On July 25, the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal had admitted a petition filed by Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company to initiate a corporate insolvency resolution process.
Police have recovered an audio/video recording of Desai, which points fingers at Edelweiss Group - and the issue was also raised in the Maharashtra legislature, after which the government has assured a thorough probe.
As per his wishes, the last rites were conducted at ND Studio.
The body was kept at the Diwan-e-Aam sets of the studio.
Desai's wife Neha and children - son Siddhant and daughter Mansi bid an emotional farewell to the legendary art director.
Several top Hindi and Marathi film industry personalities were present.
Actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan, directors Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ashutosh Gowarikar were among those present.