MUMBAI, July 17 -- Bandra police have registered a case against a Bengaluru-based gallerist, Leena Chethan, for allegedly selling fake paintings by prominent artists Jogen Chowdhury and K G Subramanyan to Mumbai-based actor-cum-art-dealer and wellness instructor Bijay Anand, based on a complaint by the latter on July 14. Anand bought the paintings - together priced at Rs.45.36 lakh -- from Chethan's Tangerine Art Space, Bengaluru, in 2021. The purported dubiousness of the works was revealed after Anand sold them to another gallerist in Pune, said an officer from Bandra police station. Anand and his actor wife Sonali run a gallery, Kyozan Arts Private Limited, in Khar. Explaining the trail of events, the officer said: "The couple was introduced to Tangerine Art Space in 2021. Anand purchased the paintings - a 2003 ink and pastel by Jogen Chowdhury, followed by another painting by K G Subramanyan, made in 1992 - for Kyozan Arts." At the time of purchase he was told the works were original, endorsed through authentication certificates. The actor paid Rs.5.04 lakh in January 2021 for Chowdhury's work and Rs.40.32 lakh for Subramanyan's work in February of the same year. "The paintings were subsequently sold to a gallerist in Magarpatta, Pune. Chowdhury's painting was sold for Rs.19 lakh and Subramanyan's for Rs.47 lakh," said the officer. More than two years later, in August 2023 and March 2024, the Pune-based gallery owner informed the complainant that both the paintings and certificates given to them were fake. When Anand contacted Chowdhury to ascertain the authenticity of his painting, the latter said the work was not his. Anand later learnt that several paintings were joined to make a single canvas which was allegedly sold under Subramanyan's name, said the officer. "The complainant then returned the money to the Pune dealer and took back the paintings. However, when he contacted Leena Chethan, he did not get a positive response, following which he lodged a case," said the police officer. Thereafter, Bandra police registered a case under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable securities and wills), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the Indian Penal Code against Chethan. When HT reached out to Anand through a WhatsApp message he wrote back saying he was "teaching yoga in Europe" and was not available to speak. Refuting the allegation of fraud, on a WhatsApp message to HT, Chethan said: "In the art business, works are sold in good faith based on the belief of their genuineness, to the best of our knowledge. If the complainants dispute the authenticity of the two paintings sold to them, it is for them to prove their claims in court. I find their action against me inappropriate and I reserve the right to take action for defamation if necessary." Chethan also alleged that Anand and his wife had purportedly suggested to her that if she paid back the purchase value of the canvases, "they would deal directly with the sellers (from whom she bought the works) and not pursue a harassment case against me"....