Radha accuses sister Ambika of Rs 46 crore cheque fraud

Veteran Tamil actress Radha alleges her sibling duo misused old cheques, reigniting a two‑decade‑old property feud in Chennai.

Veteran Tamil star Radha has taken her family squabble to the police. On Monday she submitted a formal complaint to the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner, accusing her elder sister, actress Ambika, and their brother, Mallikarjuna Kunjan Nair, of siphoning off signed blank cheques that were stored at her Chennai residence and attempting to encash them for an estimated Rs 46 crore.

According to The News Minute, Radha kept a handful of signed cheques in her room for routine outgoings – salaries, utility bills, taxes and garden upkeep – especially when she was away on shoots. The cheques belonged to an IDBI Bank current account that originally serviced her venture ARS Garden Studio. After rebranding the business to RR Gardens in early 2025, she switched to a fresh cheque book and allegedly forgot about the older set.

The trouble surfaced on September 17 when the bank flagged five of those dormant cheques as having been presented for payment in Ambika’s name. Radha says she immediately instructed the bank to halt the transactions. She maintains she never handed the cheques to her sister nor entered any financial arrangement that would justify such withdrawals.

In her FIR, Radha alleges that Mallikarjuna filled out the cheques before handing them over to Ambika, suggesting a coordinated effort to extract money. She also claims the documents were lifted from her bedroom while she was out of town, pointing to a breach of trust within the family.

Beyond the alleged financial misconduct, the complaint revives a property battle that has lingered for nearly twenty years. Radha says she has been barred from accessing her share of a family estate for about eighteen months, where valuables, jewellery, property papers and other records are allegedly stored.

Both sisters rose to fame in the 1980s, sharing screen space with legends like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Their joint filmography includes titles such as Enkeyo Ketta Kural and Vellai Roja. Ambika, meanwhile, has a prolific career across Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada cinema.

The police are now tasked with untangling how the old cheques left the house, who completed the fields and why they were presented under Ambika’s name. Radha has asked investigators to pursue criminal action if the allegations are substantiated.

If the case proceeds, it could set a precedent for how personal financial instruments are safeguarded within high‑profile families. For now, the dispute remains in the investigative stage, with both sides poised for a legal showdown that could reshape their personal and professional narratives.

What’s next?

The Chennai police have not disclosed a timeline for their inquiry. Radha’s legal team says they will monitor developments closely, while Ambika’s representatives have yet to comment. The next court filing could arrive within weeks, potentially pulling the feud into the public courtroom.