Manav and Shweta

Mumbai, Oct. 26: Ekta Kapoor, try beating this twist in the plot.

Scene I: A husband sends lurid SMSes to his wife.

Scene II: The unsuspecting wife files a police complaint.

Scene before the break: One thing leads to another and the police are analysing the SIM card-buying habit of a Nach Baliye 2 couple.

The police by chance found that the couple, participants in the second edition of the dance contest for celebrity pairs, bought 200 SIM cards.

Since the winners are picked on the basis of SMS votes, speculation is rife that the couple distributed the SIM cards among family and friends to make sure they have enough support to stay in the show.

The police have not identified the couple but a source said Manav Gohil, a TV actor who is a contestant along with his wife Shweta Kawatra, has been called by the cyber crime department of Thane police to explain why he bought an unusual number of SIM cards.

Legally, there is no limit on the number of SIM cards a person can buy. But large purchases are verified by law-enforcement agencies for security reasons.

The public relations firm handling the programme on STAR One said the couple has denied buying so many SIM cards.

The alleged buying spree would have gone unnoticed but for a complaint filed by the Thane businessman’s wife. The police decided to call Manav after getting details of the card from which the lurid SMS messages were sent.

According to the police, three of the cards given to Manav-Shweta’s choreographer made their way to the small-time businessman.

The entrepreneur used the cards to send obscene messages to his wife, who did not realise that the sender was her husband.

“Two stars in the show Nach Baliye 2 had procured 200 prepaid SIM cards from a dealer in Andheri so that they could get maximum votes,” said Sanjay Shintre, deputy commissioner of Thane crime branch.

“This is nothing new. All contestants campaign. What’s the big deal?” a source associated with the show asked.

“The rules state that no more than 20 votes will be accepted from one landline, cell or email address per episode. Participants are committed to abiding by them. Our systems are robust enough to ensure regulations are followed,” STAR Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair said.

Contestants, too, see no wrongdoing. “All we do is to campaign and ask them to vote. If Shweta and Manav did that, I think it is absolutely fair. I would do the same if I was in dire need of votes,” said Tina Darira, part of the show.

If the Queen of Soaps is wondering what happened to the hapless receiver of the lurid SMSes, here’s the update: the wife has withdrawn the complaint after discovering that the sender was her husband.