'Radha handed cheque to settle property disputes'; Actress Ambika denies allegations, case registered in Chennai

CHENNAI: In news that raised eyebrows, actress Radha filed a complaint against her sister, actress Ambika, alleging cheque fraud. Radha lodged the complaint at the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner's office, accusing Ambika and her brother, Mallikarjun, of swindling Rs 46 crore. She alleged that the siblings misappropriated funds by using five signed cheques she had left behind while they were living together. She discovered the fraud only recently upon checking her bank accounts.

The siblings resided on separate floors of a house on AR Street in Chennai. Radha claimed the cheques in question were signed for business purposes. Radha alleged that Ambika took the cheque from her room while she was on one of her frequent travels to Kerala, Mumbai, and Bengaluru for business and personal reasons.

Radha said she held a current account with a private bank for the business operated under the name 'ARS Garden Studio'. Signed blank cheques were kept in the room to cover expenses such as utility bills, taxes, and garden maintenance. In January 2025, the studio was renamed 'RR Gardens'; she obtained a new chequebook from the bank and discontinued the old one.

On September 17, Radha said she received an email from the bank stating that five cheques from the old chequebook had been submitted for encashment in Ambika's name. She immediately contacted the bank, stating that she had not issued the cheques to Ambika and requesting that the transactions be halted immediately.

Meanwhile, actress Ambika dismissed the cheque fraud allegations raised against her. Ambika said she did not misappropriate the cheque; rather, Radha had handed it over as part of a settlement regarding disputes over property and gold. The disputes concerned 50 cents of land in Maduravoyal, a share in ARS Gardens Studio, and the misappropriation of 1,299 grams of gold returned following an Income Tax inspection.

"Legal proceedings related to these matters are currently pending in Tamil Nadu, the Vattiyoorkavu police station in Thiruvananthapuram, the Thiruvallur Court, and the High Court. Attempts were made to misappropriate the property using a forged power of attorney. The cheque in question was signed and handed over by Radha as part of the settlement agreement," said Ambika. She intends to file a complaint against Radha for the cheque bounce and accused her of levelling false allegations.