Police arrest fraudster pretending to have connections with Bollywood actors

MUMBAI: A fraudster known for posing as a close associate of many Bollywood actors was arrested on Monday. This arrest pertains to a case from 2022 in which he scammed a Goregaon resident out of Rs82.75 lakhs. The Amboli police arrested Krishna Sharma (29) allegedly lured the complainant, Aishwarya, by promising her an introduction to Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan in exchange for investing in his supposed film project, "Love in London."
Police said Sharma has a history of fraud, having over six similar cases registered against him.These cases span across various police stations, including Amboli, Vakola, and Airport police stations in Mumbai, as well as Connaught Place in Delhi and E3 Teynampet in Chennai.
He befriended the complainant, Aishwarya, in April 2022. "Sharma then claimed that he is familiar with many Bollywood actors and lured her into investing in a film as a producer to produce the movie 'Love in London' casting Karthik Aaryan in the lead role," an Amboli police officer stated.
From April 2022 to July 2023, Sharma collected Rs82.75 lakhs from Aishwarya in installments, purportedly for the film's production and to arrange her meeting with Kartik Aaryan. However, he failed to deliver on his promises and vanished when Aishwarya demanded her money back. "He did not arrange the meet with the actor and siphoned off the money and vanished when I started demanding to return my money," stated Aishwarya in her complaint.
Following the complaint, a police team was formed to investigate the matter.
The Amboli police later discovered that Sharma was arrested last month by a special crime branch team at the Taj West End hotel in Bengaluru. Before his arrest, three of his associates were also apprehended by the Bengaluru police. "He has formed the gang and duped many in a similar way in Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai," added a police officer.
Sharma is currently booked for cheating and remains in judicial custody.