MUMBAI: The Shivaji Park police have booked film director-cum-builder Avinash Jadhav for duping actresses Varsha Usgaonkar and Mrunalini Jambhale and some others of ₹47 lakh. Jadhav, who lives in Dombivali, had taken money from the actresses and others in several tranches in 2019 and 2020, claiming he would invest the amount in real estate projects he was executing and share the profits with them in due course, police officers familiar with the case told Hindustan Times.
Jadhav was booked on the basis of a complaint by Jambhale, 45, a resident of Dadar West. As per Jambhale’s statement to the police, she has been working in the film industry for 22 years. She has acted in various television serials and films, and she came in touch with Jadhav during the course of work.
“In August 2019, Jadhav told Jambhale that he had two land parcels in Panvel and Uran and needed money to undertake plotting and construction work there. He also offered the actress a share in profits in lieu of her investment,” an officer from Shivaji Park police station said.
In October 2019, Jambhale told her friend and actress Varsha Usgaonkar about Jadhav’s proposal.
“Jadhav had promised Jambhale that in any case, he would return the money within a year’s time. Accordingly, between November 2019 and December 2020, she paid Jadhav around ₹23 lakh via cheques as well as cash,” the officer said.
The actress’ brother Subhash Jambhale paid Jadhav ₹11 lakh, while fellow actress Varsha Usgaonkar paid him around ₹11 lakh and her companion Zeenat Sayyad paid him around ₹2 lakh, the officer said.
Jadhav subsequently gave Jambhale five post-dated cheques towards repayment of the invested amount and even executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding sharing profits, the actress said in her complaint. When the actresses and others inquired about their money, Jadhav initially repaid them small amounts, but thereafter kept changing his mobile numbers and addresses, Jambhale said.
The actresses then traced Jadhav and visited his residence in Palava City in Dombivli. But he refused to repay their balance money, prompting them to approach the Shivaji Park police.
Based on Jambhale’s complaint, police have booked Jadhav under sections 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.