Actor Bhanupriya, who is remembered for some amazing roles in the South Indian movie industry, is having a tough time on her personal front.
The actor was recently in news when a minor domestic help led complaints against her and her brother. Adding to the trouble, a national news channel reported on Monday that more minor girls have been found at her Chennai home and Bhanupriya could be in trouble on charges of child-trafficking too.
She has, however, dismissed the complaints as fake and instead accused the maid of stealing valuables from her residence.
Last month, a police complaint was filed against the actor by a woman named P. Prabhavathi in a police station in Andhra Pradesh. She alleged that Bhanupriya withheld pay to her minor daughter who is employed at her Chennai residence even though she had employed after promising to pay Rs 10,000 per month.
The complaint also stated that Bhanupriya's bother Gopalakrishnan sexually harassed the 14-year-old girl.
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Prabhavathi also claimed that she not allowed to meet her daughter and was even roughed up when she went to Bhanupriya's house on January 19. Bhanupriya threatened to file a case of theft against her and demanded Rs 10 lakh, she added.
Now, in an interview to a Tamil website, the actor responded to the charges saying the maid has been stealing gold jewels for the past few months. She claimed that about 25 sovereigns of gold have been stolen by the girl.
Bhanupriya further said it was her brother Gopalakrishnan who caught the maid red-handed and that is why her brother has been dragged into the sexual harassment case. On reports of employing a minor, the actor claimed that the maid's family had told her she was of 18 years age. The girl has been sent to the Government Observation Home in Chennai after the case was lodged.
Earlier, Child rights activist Achyutha Rao had written to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), demanding a raid at Bhanupriya's house. Rao requested for an investigation to unravel the likely role of a trafficking racket.
An Andhra Pradesh police officer said they would seek action after seeking legal opinion as the alleged crime happened in Chennai.
The 52-year old actress was last seen in Tamil film Magalir Mattum. She has been signed up for an upcoming movie with Sivakarthikeyan.