A fraud complaint has been filed with police in Rome, Italy, against legendary Bangladeshi rock musician Mahfuz Anam James and his band Nagar Baul.
The complaint was filed by Rome-based concert organiser Abul Moazz at the Legione Carabinieri Lazio police station at 11:20am local time on Friday, 21 August 2026.
He submitted a 17-page document to the Italian authorities.
According to the complaint, James and his band were paid €35,000 in cash, equivalent to around Tk46 lakh, for concerts scheduled to be held in Rome and Venice.
Moazz alleged that James performed the scheduled concert in Rome but did not perform the Venice event under his arrangement.
Instead, the Venice concert was allegedly held under another organisation.
The complaint is a police report and does not mean that a court case has been filed or that a court has accepted the allegations.
Italian authorities may investigate the matter before deciding on any further legal action.
The complaint document does not include any statement from James’s manager Rubaiyat Thakur or representatives of Nagar Baul regarding the allegations.
The latest complaint comes amid another controversy involving James and his team in Italy.
Earlier, the management of Hotel & Residence I Triangoli reportedly complained about the condition of four apartments allocated to the musicians.
In an email sent to organiser Moazz on 19 August, the hotel authorities claimed that the apartments were found in a “terrible state” and required additional cleaning.
Apartment No. 549 was reportedly in the worst condition and required extra cleaning.
The hotel subsequently imposed a €200 fine under its rules and alleged that the guests left without contacting reception or completing the check-out procedure.
James’s manager Rubaiyat Thakur, however, disputed the allegations.
Speaking to Kalbela, he said the team had stayed in four separate rooms, with James occupying room No. 345 and himself staying in room No. 246.
He said a musician had stayed in room No. 549, where the hotel had reported only minor untidiness.
Thakur also denied that the team had left without checking out.
“It is impossible to leave without following the rules while our passports are deposited in Italy. We left normally after handing over the keys,” he said.
The €35,000 fraud complaint has now become the main legal issue involving the band in Italy, with local authorities expected to examine the allegations and determine whether further action is warranted.
