Influencer agency booked for INR 1.41 crore fraud using KL Rahul, Athiya Shetty and Arshad Warsi’s names

Three staff members at an advertising and talent hunt media company based in Andheri West have been booked for allegedly misappropriating ₹1.41 crores by raising fake project bills and using celebs' fake signatures for sanctioning payments.

According to the Amboli police, the culprits have used the fake signatures of actress Athiya Shetty and cricketer KL Rahul. Additionally, they also used the fake email address of actor Arshad Warsi to approve fake projects. As per the FIR, the main intention behind all such activities is that they helped the culprits to misappropriate funds. Details are now being traced by the authorities through fake signatures of celebs.

Mumbai media firm booked for using celebs' fake signatures and Rs. 1.41 crore fraud

The offenders allegedly employed the celebs’ signatures for paying off the fake payments. Surekha joined this company in July 2023. His role in this company was that of senior manager–client servicing (influencer marketing) and included roles in branding, dealings with influencers, and management of project implementation. He had the authority to disclose project details to the finance team and the company’s CEO.

The complaint has been filed by Jeni Anthony, 28, who works for the company, with its head office situated in Haryana and another one in Andheri West. Amboli police stated “We are investigating the case and verifying the financial transactions. No arrests have been made so far, as evidence is being collected.” An FIR has also been recorded for Section 318(4) (Cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act. The police also stated that Surekha had availed an interest-free loan from this company of ₹15 lakh due to his mom’s treatment but then mishandled more funds in this manner.

In August 2024, Surekha, with the support of Shastri, allegedly received an advertising job from Havells with actress Dia Mirza. It was declared that a sum of ₹31 lakh was to be given to the production house Hooray Movies, while the Hooray Movies CEO was allegedly told that the job was worth ₹62 lakh, so extra amounts had to be paid. The FIR further states that the group provided fake invoices for Havells, Mahindra Lifespaces, Realme Number Series, and Birla Estates.

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