Nitin Desai death: Art director's wife files police case against creditor ECL Finance's employees

Raigad police in Maharashtra on Friday registered an offence against five persons including officials of Edelweiss Group and its company ECL Finance for alleged abetment of art director Nitin Desai's suicide. A First Information Report was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (common intention) at Khalapur police station based on a complaint filed by Desai's wife Neha Desai, an official said. Her husband was facing repeated mental harassment in connection with the loans his company had taken and he committed suicide because of it, the complaint alleged.

Desai, who had worked for acclaimed Bollywood films such as ''Lagaan'' and ''Jodhaa Akbar'', allegedly hanged himself at his studio at Karjat in Raigad district on Wednesday.

His company had defaulted on a Rs 252 crore loan repayment to creditors and the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal had initiated insolvency proceedings against it.

Desai's company ND's Art World Pvt Ltd had borrowed Rs 185 crore through two loans from ECL Finance in 2016 and 2018, and troubles with repayments started from January 2020. ECL Finance is a non-banking finance arm of the Edelweiss Group.

The last rites of the National Award-winning art director were held on Friday at his studio in Karjat in the presence of family members and colleagues.

The 57-year-old was found dead on the premises of his studio at Karjat in Raigad district on Wednesday morning.