Ankita Lokhande, Karan Kundrra and other TV celebs duped by Energy Drink brand; Mumbai Police arrests 5 suspects

The Mumbai Police have filed a complaint against five people, including the proprietors of an Indore-based energy drink company, for allegedly defrauding a celebrity management firm of Rs 1.48 crore. The defendants allegedly engaged the agency to arrange celebrity ad campaigns and promotions but did not pay for the services.
Roshan Bhinder, 48, the owner of Ayman Entertainment, filed a complaint alleging that two males, Tanish Chhajed, 26, and Manu Shrivastava, 29, approached her in July 2024. They claimed to be the owners of Sky 63 Energy Drinks and wanted to promote the brand on social media. Bhinder invited 25 celebrities, including actors Ankita Lokhande, Kushal Tandon, Karan Kundrra, Arjun Bijlani, Adrija Roy, and Rithvik Dhanjani, to take part in the campaign.
Initially, Shrivastava claimed to have deposited Rs 10 lakh as an advance, but the funds never materialised. Despite this, Bhinder continued with the campaign, even planning a promotional party at a premium hotel in Mumbai for August 10, 2024. The gathering was attended by 100 celebrities, and 25 were chosen for the commercial campaign.
The total agreed-upon payment for the celebs was Rs 1.32 crore, plus Rs 16.91 lakh for Bhinder's commission. The campaign continued, with promotional videos being shared on social media. However, when the time came to collect payments, the accused's cheques bounced. They later stated that Rs 22.5 lakh had been wired from Dubai, but no money had arrived.
On October 18, 2024, the accused issued two additional cheques totalling Rs 80 lakh, which also bounced. Bhinder had already paid Rs 35 lakh in advance to some celebrities, causing significant financial losses. The police have charged Chhajed, Shrivastava, and their associates—Faizal Idrii, Abdul, and Riitik Panchal—with fraud. Investigations are underway to locate the suspects and retrieve the funds.