Mumbai’s Chembur Police Station has filed a case against five individuals for allegedly scamming over 24 Bollywood celebrities by making them promote an energy drink without fulfilling their promised payments. The accused, identified as Tanish Cheda, Manu Srivastava, Faisal Rafiq, Abdul, and Ritik Panchal, collectively withheld an estimated ₹1.5 crore from the artists. A complaint was lodged by Roshan Gary, who operates a celebrity management company, leading to a police investigation.
How The Scam Unfolded
Roshan Binder, a celebrity endorsement advertising professional, told officials that in July 2024 she was approached by a person looking for 25 artists for a promotional ad of an energy drink. The accused had initially promised a ₹10 lakh advance payment, even showing a receipt as proof, but nothing was received. Binder was later asked to bring celebrities to a promotional show in Dadar.
Multiple Celebrities’ Cheques Bounced
The event, which was graced by celebrities such as Arjun Bijlani, Abhishek Bajaj and Harsh Rajput, witnessed the finalization of 25 celebrities for the ad. A total of ₹1.32 crore was guaranteed. Binder was shown a photo of a ₹15 lakh cheque as a guarantee, and she agreed to go ahead with the project. The ad content was posted on different celebrities’ social media accounts under the condition that payments would be cleared within 35 days. The concerned energy drink company was Sky 63.
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Two cheques, one for ₹2 lakh and the other for ₹90,000, were made out to some artists at the event but both were returned. After making inquiries, Binder was told that ₹22.5 lakh had been remitted from Dubai based on local exchange rules. Nothing came through. Additionally, actress Tejasswi Prakash’s cheque of ₹6.5 lakh and Adrija Roy’s cheque of ₹1.25 lakh also bounced. On October 18, 2024, the accused drew two more cheques for ₹35 lakh and ₹45 lakh, assuring the deposits within two days.
The Alleged accused, made advance payments of ₹35 lakh to stars like Jay Bhanushali, Bhumika Gurung, Ankita Lokhande, Ayush Sharma, Sana Sultan, Kushal Tandon, and Adrija Roy. But a cheque of ₹80 lakh by the accused also bounced, causing more financial losses.
Celebrities Who Haven’t Received Their Payments
The following celebrities have reportedly not received their agreed payments:
- Ankita Lokhande, Ayush Sharma, Abhishek Bajaj
- Adrija Roy, Basir Ali, Niyati Fatnani, Parth Kalnawat, Samarth Jurel, Helly Shah, Kashish, Ankit Gupta, Mohit Malik, Vijayendra Kumeria
- Jannat Zubair, Tejasswi Prakash, Karan Kundrra, Mickey Sharma, Ridhima Pandit, Jay Bhanushali
- Kushal Tandon, Vibha Anand, Sana Sultan, Bhumika Gurung, Dhvani Pawar, Sana Makbul
