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Chembur police have registered a complaint after a city-based celebrity management firm lodged a complaint against the owners of an energy drink company.
The complainant has accused five individuals of duping 25 celebrities in the name of an energy drink advertisement, Mumbai Police said. The accused, identified as Tanish Chhedja, Manu Srivastava, Faisal Rafiq, Abdul, and Hrithik Panchal, allegedly lured the complainant, Roshan Bhinder, into arranging promotions for the energy drink brand. Bhinder, a 48-year-old Andheri-based event and celebrity manager, claimed that the accused contacted her in July 2024, seeking 25 celebrities for a promotional campaign. As per the complaint, the accused initially promised an advance payment of Rs 10 lakh but never transferred the amount. Later, they convinced Bhinder to bring artists to a party in Dadar which was attended by 100 actors and influencers. From this pool, 25 celebrities were shortlisted for the campaign, with an agreed payment of Rs 1.32 crore. To assure payment, the accused allegedly sent a fake cheque image of Rs 15 lakh. The campaign proceeded, and promotional content was uploaded on social media, with an agreement that payments would be settled within 35 days. However, when cheques of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 90,000 were issued to the celebrities, both bounced. The accused later claimed that Rs 22.5 lakh had been transferred from Dubai, but no money ever reached Bhinder's account. On October 18, 2024, the accused issued two more cheques of Rs 35 lakh and Rs 45 lakh, promising to clear the dues. However, when the Rs 80 lakh cheque also bounced, Bhinder, who had already made an advance payment of Rs 35 lakh to several celebrities, suffered heavy financial losses. In total, Bhinder claims that Rs 1.32 crore of celebrity payments and Rs 16.91 lakh of her personal funds were defrauded. The Mumbai Police registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS and is currently investigating the accused, including one suspect from Madhya Pradesh. (ANI)
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