Kochi, May 15 (IANS): Leading Malayalam film producer Johny Sagarika was detained at the immigration counter of the Kochi airport while en route Dubai, before being handed over to the Kovai police on Wednesday.

Sagarika was taken into custody after a resident of Kovai named Dwarak Udaykumar lodged a complaint with the police accusing the former of deceiving him of Rs 2.75 crore under the guise of producing a film.

After Sagarika failed to return the money despite reminders, Udaykumar approached the Kovai police with the complaint.

Despite repeated summonses from the Kovai police, Sagarika failed to appear before them, and as a result, all the airports in the region were alerted to ensure that the producer didn't leave the country.

When Sagarika reached the airport on Wednesday, he was stopped by the immigration officials who informed the Kovai police.

Some of the popular films produced by Sagarika include 'Thaandavam', 'Bodyguard', 'Chakram', 'Muppathu Vellikkaasu', and 'Orkut Oru Ormmakkoottu', among others.