Kerala court bars actor Soubin Shahir from travelling to Dubai amid ‘Manjummel Boys’ fraud probe

Kochi: Actor-producer Soubin Shahir has been denied permission to travel to Dubai for the upcoming awards event, following a ruling from the Ernakulam Magistrate Court. Soubin had requested leave to attend the event scheduled for September 5–6. Still, the court rejected his plea, citing concerns related to an ongoing financial fraud investigation tied to his film Manjummel Boys.

The prosecution argued that the case remains in its preliminary stage, and a key witness is currently in Dubai—raising the risk of potential witness tampering should Soubin be permitted to travel. A similar application filed by co‑producer Shawn Antony was also denied.

The fraud case originated when investor Siraj Valiyathura alleged that producers failed to deliver on a promised 40% share of profits from Manjummel Boys, following his ₹7 crore (Dh3.1 million) investment in the project. Soubin and others have been questioned by police, but maintain that payment delays—not malfeasance—were responsible for any disbursement issues. He was granted anticipatory bail by the Kerala High Court and had previously cooperated with investigators. Soubin plans to appeal the decision in the High Court, seeking relaxation of his bail conditions to allow overseas travel—though the outcome remains uncertain