Actress Duped Of ₹1.31 Crore In Fake Investment Scam, Police Launches Manhunt

An Actress, Deepu Sharma has accused a group of seven persons of cheating her and other investors of ₹2.64 crore by promising them that their investment would double within ten months.

Deepu Sharma, the complainant, claims that she, along with other investors, was cheated into investing in a company that turned out to be fake.

The 51-year-old actress told the police that she had met one of the accused, Priti Sonawadekar, through a relative in 2017.

Sonawadekar, a resident of Mira Road, introduced herself as the executive of KBC Agro Pvt Ltd and convinced Sharma to invest a small sum in the company.

When she received double the returns on investment in ten months, Sharma thought the company to be genuine and so she invested ₹1.31 crore in 2018.

However, when the promised returns failed to materialize after ten months, Sharma grew suspicious. Upon questioning, the accused claimed the company was incurring losses and avoided further communication.

Sharma later discovered that the documents provided as proof of investment, including share certificates, were forged. Investigations revealed that the company itself was fake.

“The accused had claimed to have an office in Mira Road, but when I went to check, it didn’t exist,” Sharma said.

She also discovered that other investors had been similarly defrauded. The accused stopped answering her calls and eventually became untraceable.

Following Sharma’s written complaint, the Cyber Police in Malad transferred the case to the Malad Police Station.

An FIR was filed on Sunday against the accused on the basis of the preliminary investigation findings under sections 420, 406, and 467 of the Indian Penal Code related to cheating, criminal breach of trust, and forgery of valuable security, respectively.

A police officer from Malad station said, “The accused are currently absconding. We have launched a manhunt and have also alerted the crime branch.”

ALSO READ: Accident Victim Body Left On Road For Four Hours Amid MP and UP Police Jurisdiction Dispute