Mumbai Police have registered a case against five individuals, including the owners of an Indore-based energy drink company, for allegedly defrauding a celebrity management firm of Rs 1.48 crore. The accused reportedly engaged the firm to execute celebrity-driven promotions but failed to make the agreed payments.
Roshan Bhinder, 48, the proprietor of Ayman Entertainment, lodged a complaint stating that in July 2024, two individuals—Tanish Chhajed, 26, and Manu Shrivastava, 29—approached her, introducing themselves as owners of Sky 63 Energy Drinks. They sought her firm’s assistance in promoting their brand on social media. Bhinder subsequently facilitated deals with 25 celebrities, including well-known actors such as Ankita Lokhande, Kushal Tandon, Karan Kundrra, Arjun Bijlani, Adrija Roy, and Rithvik Dhanjani, to participate in the campaign.
Initially, Shrivastava claimed to have transferred Rs 10 lakh as an advance payment, but the funds never materialized. Despite this, Bhinder proceeded with the promotional campaign, even organizing a high-profile launch party at a luxury hotel in Mumbai on August 10, 2024. The event saw the attendance of 100 celebrities, with 25 of them finalizing their participation in the campaign.
The agreement stipulated a payment of Rs 1.32 crore for the celebrities, along with Rs 16.91 lakh as Bhinder’s commission. As the campaign progressed, promotional videos were shared on social media. However, when payments were due, the cheques issued by the accused bounced. The accused later claimed that Rs 22.5 lakh had been transferred from Dubai, but Bhinder never received the amount.
On October 18, 2024, the accused issued two additional cheques totaling Rs 80 lakh, which also bounced. Bhinder, having already disbursed Rs 35 lakh to certain celebrities in advance, suffered significant financial losses.
Following her complaint, the police have booked Chhajed, Shrivastava, and their associates—Faizal Idrii, Abdul, and Riitik Panchal—on charges of fraud. Investigators are currently working to track down the accused and recover the defrauded amount.
