Pritam Chakraborty’s Office Assistant Vanishes with ?40 Lakh Cash, Police Investigate Theft Case

The Malad police have launched a search operation to locate a 32-year-old office assistant, Ashish Sayal, who allegedly fled with ?40 lakh in cash from the Goregaon studio of renowned musician and composer Pritam Chakraborty. The stolen amount was reportedly a payment received from a production house for a recently completed assignment.

Pritam Chakraborty owns Unimuse Records Private Limited, a recording studio in the Rustomjee Ozone building on the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road. His manager, Vineet Chheda, 29, lodged the complaint regarding the theft. According to police reports, on Tuesday, an individual from producer Madhu Mantena’s office visited the studio and delivered ?40 lakh in cash. Chheda counted the money and placed it in a trolley bag, which contained 8,000 notes of ?500.

At the time, office assistants Ashish Sayal, Ahmed Khan, and Kamal Disha were present at the studio. Chheda then left to visit Pritam’s residence to get signatures on some documents. When he returned around 10:30 PM, he was shocked to find the bag missing.

Upon questioning, Khan informed Chheda that Sayal had taken the bag, saying he was going to deliver it to Pritam’s house. However, Sayal never arrived at the musician’s residence nor returned to the studio. His mobile phone was switched off, raising suspicions. Initially, Pritam suggested waiting, as Sayal had worked with him for seven years. However, after a few days with no sign of him, Chheda approached the police.

Following a formal complaint, the Malad police registered a case under Section 381 (theft by employees, servants, or clerks of their employer’s property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police are actively searching for Sayal, who remains untraceable, and are also interrogating other studio staff for possible leads.

Pritam, known for composing hit songs in films like Dhoom 2, Jab We Met, Life in a Metro, Bodyguard, Barfi, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and Dangal, has yet to comment on the matter.