Bollywood actors Shreyas Talpade and Alok Nath have been named in an FIR for cheating and criminal breach of trust, registered on January 22 at Haryana’s Murthal police station.
The two actors are among 13 persons accused in the case, which has been registered under Sections 316(2), 318(2), and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for offences including criminal breach of trust, cheating, and deceptive transfer of property, ThePrint reported.
“The main complaint is against the society accused of duping people by luring them to invest. We will investigate any role ascribed to Shreyas Talpade and Alok Nath,” said Ajeet Singh, additional commissioner of police (ACP), Murthal, as quoted in the report.
Sonipat resident Vipul Antil alleged in his complaint that the Human Welfare Credit Cooperative Society, registered in Indore under the Multi-State Cooperative Society Act, 2002, has been functioning in multiple states, including Haryana, since 16 September 2016.
He further alleged that the society introduced fixed deposit (FD) and recurring deposit (RD) schemes, promising high returns. However, it allegedly operated using a multi-level marketing model, offering agents lucrative incentives for bringing in additional investors.
The complaint has accused the society of assuring investors that their funds were secure and that maturity payments would be made promptly.
Antil has also said that the society’s head in Haryana was located in Mahendragarh, and that it ran over 250 service centers, or ‘suvidha kendras,’ across the state for investors to deposit their money.
{{/usCountry}}Antil has also said that the society’s head in Haryana was located in Mahendragarh, and that it ran over 250 service centers, or ‘suvidha kendras,’ across the state for investors to deposit their money.
{{/usCountry}}Moreover, in some cities, the society provided services like ambulance units and mobile ATM vans. He alleged that it also hosted social events at upscale hotels to attract investors, disguised as ‘training’ programs.
The complainant alleged that the society had been deceiving its investors, saying, “First, the incentives of agents were stopped. Then payment of the matured amount of investors also started getting delayed. Soon, the owners switched off the phones, and the offices were locked.”
He mentioned that when investors and agents reached out to those still in contact with society, they were given false reassurances.
Vipul Antil, the complainant, told ThePrint over the phone that he had deposited ₹33 lakh as an FD with the society, while his brother Amit, who managed a ‘suvidha kendra,’ had deposited over ₹4 crore of investors’ funds, mainly from family and extended family members, who are now seeking their money back.