Varsha Usgaonkar has reportedly been one of a group of five people cheated of almost ₹47 lakh, the celebrated Marathi and Hindi film actress. The Mumbai Police have filed an FIR against Avinash Jadhav, who falsely pretended he was a respected builder and film producer for fraudulently recruiting investors to a fake construction scheme. The case, which was recorded at the Shivaji Park Police Station, details a well-calculated “trust-building” scam that involved the entertainment industry actors and members of the Marathi entertainment community.
The Pitch: “High Returns” in Dombivli
After a complaint from Mrunalini Subhash Jambhale, a Marathi theatre and cinema actress, the fraud came to light. Jadhav had reached out to Jambhale based on a professional acquaintance and presented a chance at investment for a building project in Dombivli. Jadhav purportedly promised the investors “lucrative returns” within a small timeframe and guaranteed that the whole principal amount would be paid back in a year. From November 2019 to February 2020, Usgaonkar, Jambhale, and three others transferred on the aggregate ₹47 lakh to Jadhav via cheques and online bank transfers.
The "Trust-Building" Trap
To perpetuate the charade the alleged fraudster even returned ₹4.52 lakh initially to the faction on the pretense of bringing them their first profit. The trick – so much a part of high-value investment scams – was presumably to discourage suspicion and entice people to invest. But the payments abruptly ceased soon after. When the victims tried to reach Jadhav, they found he had:
- Changed his primary mobile number.
- Moved from his known residential address.
- Upon face-to-face confrontation in Dombivli, beat a hasty retreat, allegedly issuing unlawful threats, and declining to return just a rupee.
Police Action and FIR Details
Upon the formal complaint, the Shivaji Park Police took Avinash Jadhav charge under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). These include:
- Section 420: Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
- Section 506: Criminal intimidation.
Assistant Police Inspector Shailesh Shejul was appointed to head the investigation. Now authorities are tracking Jadhav's whereabouts and looking at bank documents to determine whether the scam is being perpetrated on other members of the film fraternity.
A Storied Career Under Shadow
Varsha Usgaonkar, who has been a household name since the late 1980s, is famous for her indelible roles in Marathi classics, and hits of Hindi such as Tirangaa and Mahabharat (in which she played Uttara). More recently, she acquired a new generation of fans at Bigg Boss Marathi 5.
This episode reminds us of the dangers public figures in the private investment game have and is a chilling example of vulnerabilities public figures face in private investments. As the investigation unfolds, police have encouraged other potential victims who might have been approached by Jadhav to report it.
