Entertainment firm director booked for cheating journalist of ₹1.40 crore

Pandey, a resident of Lucknow, is a director at Brainstorm Entertainment LLP. In January 2016, he had told the complainant, 65, that he was organising an Indian Film Academics Award in America and the latter could invest in the project and earn 20% profit

MUMBAI: Police have booked a director of an entertainment company and two of his associates on charges of duping a journalist of ₹1.40 crore. Interestingly, the accused, Saurabh Pandey, is currently in jail in a ₹1.33 crore cheating case involving an NRI woman from the US.

MUMBAI, INDIA – DECEMBER 21: Saurabh Pandey of Brainstorm Entertainment during the press conference to announce the launching of Indian Academy Awards (IAA) on December 21, 2016 in Mumbai, India. Founded by Brainstorm Entertainment and backed by event stalwart Cineyug, the IAA will be hosted at the Oracle Arena in the Bay Area, Silicon Valley in California. (Photo by Pramod Thakur/Hindustan Times ) (Hindustan Times)

Pandey, a resident of Lucknow, is a director at Brainstorm Entertainment LLP. In January 2016, he had told the complainant, 65, that he was organising an Indian Film Academics Award in America and the latter could invest in the project and earn 20% profit.

Accordingly, the journalist, who resides in Andheri’s Four Bungalows, invested ₹1.40 crore. But neither did he get the promised profit nor the principal amount, the complaint said, adding when he recently found out that Pandey had similarly duped many others, he approached the Amboli police.

On Friday, a case against Pandey and his associates Manjusha Pandey and Vandana Krishna was registered under section 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code.

A police officer said Pandey was arrested in November 2022 for allegedly duping the NRI woman after he had befriended her on a dating site and persuaded her to invest money in a company he was setting up for Indian Premier League. He had promised her 15% annual returns.

Pandey even threatened to harm her if she asked for her money and allegedly molested her at a hotel, the officer said.