New Delhi: The Cyber Cell of Delhi Police’s South West district has busted a fake casting racket that cheated aspiring actors by posing as TV and OTT producers. Two accused—Tarun Shekhar Sharma (32) of Lucknow and Asha Singh alias Bhawna (29) of Delhi—were arrested from a luxury service apartment in Bengaluru after an intensive multi-state operation.
Police said the duo, allegedly inspired by the Bollywood film Bunty Aur Babli, lured victims with promises of roles in television serials. In one case, they duped a Delhi woman of nearly ₹24 lakh by assuring her daughter a role in a Star Plus/Hotstar show.
HOW THE SCAM WORKED
The victim, a resident of Raghu Nagar, Dabri, reported that her daughter, while pursuing an acting diploma, saw a Facebook ad for a TV serial audition. She was soon contacted by a man calling himself “Piyush Sharma,” who claimed to be a former MTV reality star turned director. The girl was later introduced to people impersonating top producer Rajan Shahi and an HR executive from CINTAA. Over weeks, she was pressured into transferring money under different pretexts until payments totaled ₹24 lakh, after which the fraudsters vanished.
LUXURIOUS LIFESTYLE
The accused funded a lavish lifestyle with the duped money, frequently shifting cities and staying in five-star hotels like The Lalit and Crowne Plaza. Police seized seven smartphones, 10 SIM cards, 15 cheque books, eight ATM cards, and gold jewelry from their possession.
NATIONWIDE TRAIL
Investigators revealed the duo is linked to at least five fraud cases in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, one in Jammu & Kashmir, and over 20 complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. An FIR has been lodged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further investigations are underway to identify more victims and accomplices.
