Chandigarh, March 10 : Punjabi music producer Pushpinder Dhaliwal, also known as Pinky Dhaliwal, was arrested by Punjab Police on charges of cheating, forgery and intimidation of renowned singer and actress Sunanda Sharma on Monday.

The women's commission had taken suo motu cognisance of Sunanda Sharma's plea and directed Punjab Police to submit an action-taken report.

Exercising its powers under Section 12 of the Punjab State Commission for Women Act, 2001, the Commission chaired by Raj Gill had instructed a Superintendent of Police-rank officer to investigate the allegations and take appropriate action.

In response to this directive, the police arrested Dhaliwal from Mohali, an official statement said.

Sunanda Sharma has alleged that Dhaliwal financially exploited her by withholding payments despite her songs generating Rs 250 crore.

She further accused him of wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation and forgery.

Taking strict action on the commission's intervention, the police had registered a case and initiated further legal proceedings.

Gill said that the Punjab state women's commission 'remains committed to ensuring justice and will continue to pursue all necessary legal actions to protect women's rights and dignity'.

She urged all women facing harassment to seek support from the commission without fear.

As per the First Information Report (FIR), Sunanda Sharma, 33, also accused Dhaliwal and his son, Gurkaran Singh Dhaliwal, of exploiting her by making false promises of marriage.

She claimed that Dhaliwal and his son forged her signature on various documents, including contracts, and exploited her further by coercing her into signing agreements she did not fully understand.

This included taking control of her intellectual property, such as music rights, performance rights and other creative assets.

'Through my earnings, the accused has built considerable personal wealth solely by exploiting me financially. His sudden and unexplained accumulation of wealth is a direct result of his illegal actions, including misappropriation of my earnings, unauthorised collection of performance fees, and manipulation of my financial rights,' she claimed.

/IANS