18-YO Aspiring Actress in Mumbai Duped With Fake Web Series Offer, Blackmailed With Morphed Photos; Complaint Filed
An 18-year-old aspiring actress from Mumbai was duped with a fake promise of a role in a web series. According to the police, the individual later threatened to leak morphed photos of her on social media if she didn’t meet their financial demands.
In a shocking piece of news, an 18-year-old aspiring actress was tricked by fraudsters pretending to work in the film industry. The four individuals reportedly took money from the victim under the pretext of offering her a role in a fake web series and later threatened to leak her morphed photos if she failed to send them more money. A case has been registered against the four individuals at the DN Nagar Police Station in Mumbai. Bengali Filmmaker Shyam Sunder Dey Accuses TV Couple Puja Banerjee and Kunal Verma of Kidnapping Him and Extorting INR 23 Lakh in Goa; Complaint Filed.
How the Scam Took Place
According to the police, the victim, Ratanpriya Amit Singh, who hails from Bihar, is currently pursuing an engineering degree from a college in Panvel. On June 11, a person calling themselves "Bhavesh" and claiming to be from "GM Studio" offered an acting role to her. According to him, a director named Rahul Patel wanted her for a role in an upcoming web series. Believing that the offer was genuine, Ratanpriya forwarded her portfolio, and her social media handle links with Bhavesh.
Discussion regarding the upcoming project continued, and Ratanpriya was also introduced to a man named Shivam Agarwal, who was supposedly her co-star in the web series. Bhavesh then asked the actress to transfer INR 2,000 for flight arrangements, followed by additional demands totalling INR 7,836 for fake expenses. The payments were made through UPI and an India Post Payments account. On June 13, Ratanpriya was asked to meet Shivam in person for a "rapport-building" session at Metro INOX Theatre in Churchgate. However, things turned ugly after the meeting. Bhavesh asked Ratanpriya to meet Shivam again, and when she refused, she was threatened with a morphed obscene photograph of herself and was demanded to pay INR 40,000.
Case Registered at DN Nagar Police Station
Bhavesh threatened to share the doctored image with her father and also post it on social media. Despite blocking his number, Ratanpriya received threatening messages from multiple numbers, including late-night calls. Disturbed by the threats, Ratanpriya filed a complaint at the DN Nagar Police Station against the unidentified individuals. A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Techonolgy Act (IT) Act.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2025 11:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).