Ankita Lokhande, Karan Kundrra among victims of ₹1.48 crore fraud by Indore based Energy Drink Brand

Hindi television industry in a deep state of shock a massive Rs. 1.48 crore fraud case has come to light. The alleged scam by an Indore-based energy drink company has duped over two dozen TV stars including Ankita Lokhande, Karan Kundra, Tejasswi Prakash, Adrija Roy and others.

Sky 63 Energy Drinks, led by Tanish Chhajed and Manu Shrivastava, along with their associates Faizal Idrii, Abdul and Riitik Panchal has been accused of carrying out the fraud.

Reportedly, the defendants approached a celebrity management firm, Ayman Entertainment, to organize ad campaigns and promotions featuring celebrities. However, the company refused to pay for the services provided, said celebrity manager Roshan Bhinder.

According to Bhinder, the accused contacted her in July 2024 to hire 25 celebrities for a promotional campaign. Initially, they promised an advance payment of ₹10 lakh, but no payment was made. Later, they convinced Bhinder to bring artists to a party in Dadar, attended by 100 actors and influencers.

From this party, 25 celebrities were selected for the campaign, with a payment agreement of Rs. 1.32 crore. To gain her trust, the accused reportedly sent a fake image of a Rs. 15 lakh cheque.

However, the cheques issued by the accused to Bhinder bounced, leaving her at a loss as she had already paid ₹35 lakh in advance to multiple celebrities.

The Mumbai Police registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS and is currently investigating the accused, including one suspect from Madhya Pradesh.