Fake casting agent detained for trying to cheat aspiring actress

A 29-year-old man was detained by the Juhu police for allegedly posing as an employee of actor Akshay Kumar’s production and distribution house

MUMBAI: A 29-year-old man was detained by the Juhu police for allegedly posing as an employee of actor Akshay Kumar’s production and distribution house, Cape of Good Films, and attempting to cheat a 28-year-old entrepreneur by promising her a role in a film. The entrepreneur, Pooja Anandani, was told that the film was based on the Nirbhaya case and Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Radhika Apte and Richa Chadha had already signed up for it.

Two Indian-origin men, who were arrested for staging armed robberies in a visa fraud conspiracy, have been indicted by a federal grand jury. (Representational image)

The police case was registered by Anandani against Rohan alias Prince Kumar Mehra alias Prince Kumar Sinha, a resident of Vile Parle. The entrepreneur, who has a company called ResuMade, is also an aspiring actor looking for work via social media, which made her a target.

“On March 3, she got a call from an unknown person who identified himself as Rohan Mehra, a representative of Cape of Good Films,” said a police officer. “He told her that they were in the process of finalising a role for a film on the Nirbhaya case and showcasing women empowerment. He informed her that he had got her details from her social media account and asked her to meet him at a restaurant to explain the role.”

The accused met Anandani and told her that Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Radhika Apte and Richa Chadha were already in the project. “He even showed her a signature of Akshay Kumar on one of the scripts,” said the police officer. “He asked her to send an audition video, and after she sent it, he told her that she had been selected for the role and could get paid ₹12 lakh to ₹15 lakh for it.”

In the next meeting, Mehra told Anandani that she would have to get a portfolio shot by a professional photographer who worked for actors like Amitabh Bachchan, and would need to pay ₹6 lakh to him. “The complainant asked him why he couldn’t adjust the money from her first pay, and he told her that this was how production houses worked. She then told him she would check with her family and get back,” said the police officer.

After going home, the complainant discussed the offer with her family members, who all felt she should contact the production house and check if the person who had offered her the role was working with the company. “After that, the complainant got in touch with Akshay Kumar’s personal secretary, who told her that there was no such person working with them,” said the police officer.

The complainant and her father then decided to trap the accused. They called him to J W Marriot, Juhu, and immediately informed the local Juhu police. “We caught the accused when they were coming out of the hotel,” said the police officer.

A case has been registered under Sections 419 (cheating by impersonation) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code.