Rs 1.48 Crore Fraud: Kushal Tandon, Ankita Lokhande & Others Cheated by Energy Drink Brand
Mumbai Police have filed a case against five people, including the owners of an Indore-based energy drink company, for allegedly cheating a celebrity management firm out of Rs 1.48 crore. The company had hired the firm to arrange celebrity promotions, but they never paid for the services.
How the Fraud Happened
According to Roshan Bhinder, the 48-year-old owner of Ayman Entertainment, two men, Tanish Chhajed (26) and Manu Shrivastava (29), approached her in July 2024. They claimed to own Sky 63 Energy Drinks and wanted to promote their brand on social media.
Bhinder arranged for 25 celebrities, including Ankita Lokhande, Kushal Tandon, Karan Kundrra, Arjun Bijlani, Adrija Roy, and Rithvik Dhanjani, to take part in the campaign.
At first, Shrivastava claimed that Rs 10 lakh had been transferred as an advance, but the money never arrived. Despite this, Bhinder went ahead with the campaign and even organized a promotional party at a luxury hotel in Mumbai on August 10, 2024. Over 100 celebrities attended, and 25 of them were selected for the ad campaign.
Payment Issues Begin
The total agreed payment was Rs 1.32 crore for the celebrities and Rs 16.91 lakh as Bhinder’s commission. Promotional videos were posted on social media, but when it was time to pay, the cheques issued by the accused bounced.
Later, the accused claimed they had transferred Rs 22.5 lakh from Dubai, but no money was received.
On October 18, 2024, they issued two more cheques worth Rs 80 lakh, but these also bounced. Bhinder had already paid Rs 35 lakh to some celebrities from her own pocket, causing huge financial losses.
Legal Action Taken
The police have now booked Chhajed, Shrivastava, and their associates – Faizal Idrii, Abdul, and Riitik Panchal – under fraud charges. Investigations are ongoing to track them down and recover the money.
Also Read: Tejasswi Prakash Meets MasterChef Legend Gary Mehigan: Special Moment
