Mumbai: Fraud of Rs1.5 Crore in Advertisement Deal; Case Registered Against Five

In a shocking case of fraud, five individuals have been booked by Chembur police for allegedly duping 25 artists of their remuneration, amounting to approximately Rs1.5 crore. Among those affected are well-known actors Ankita Lokhande, Aayush Sharma, and Adrija Roy. The case was registered following a complaint by a celebrity manager.

The complainant, Roshan Binder (48), a resident of Andheri (West), runs a company that provides celebrities for events and advertisements. In July 2024, she received a call from a person claiming to require 25 artists for an advertisement for an energy drink brand. After negotiations, the accused sent a receipt showing an advance payment of Rs10 lakh, but no money was actually transferred to the complainant’s account. Later, the accused instructed Binder to bring the artists to a party in Dadar.

Around 100 artists, including Arjun Bijlani, Abhishek Bajaj, and Harsh Rajput, attended the party, where 25 were selected for the advertisement. Their total remuneration was fixed at Rs1.32 crore. Binder was then sent an image of a cheque worth Rs15 lakh as an assurance, with a promise that the amount would be credited soon. Believing the claim, Binder proceeded with the advertisement shoot, and the content was uploaded on social media, with an agreement that all payments would be cleared within 35 days.

At the Dadar event, two cheques worth Rs2 lakh and Rs90,000 were handed over to the artists, but both bounced. Upon contacting the accused, Binder was told that Rs22.5 lakh had been transferred from Dubai as per the local currency exchange. However, even after two days, no money reflected in her account.

Further, cheques of Rs6.5 lakh for actor Tejasswi Prakash and Rs1.25 lakh for Adrija Roy also bounced. On October 18, 2024, the accused issued two more cheques of Rs35 lakh and Rs45 lakh, promising that the amount would be credited within two days.

Trusting the promise, Binder paid Rs35 lakh in advance to actors Jay Bhanushali, Bhoomika Gurang, Ankita Lokhande, Aayush Sharma, Sana Sultan, Kushaal Tandon, Adrija Roy, Basin, and Abhishek Bajaj. However, the accused’s Rs80 lakh cheque also bounced, leading to non-payment of Binder’s cheques as well.

In total, the fraud amounted to Rs1.32 crore for the artists and Rs16.91 lakh from Binder’s personal funds. Following her complaint, a case has been registered against five individuals, including a resident of Madhya Pradesh. The investigation is ongoing.