New Delhi: A 22-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly running a fake modelling agency and duping a number of aspiring models on the pretext of casting them in short films, police said today.
Accused was arrested from his residence in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, they said. Police said he used to approach struggling models and aspirants as a casting director and would call them for photo shoots at various hotels in Delhi’s Mahipalpur area.
Police said the man’s name is Shubham alias Viraj Roy and has cheated around 15 aspiring models, a dozen of those models were women from Delhi.
Shubham Roy allegedly used to trick the models into sharing details of their bank accounts, secret codes of their plastic cards and mobile banking and used them to transfer money in his accounts for shopping and his other expenses, he tricked around Rs 25 lakh since June this year. Police said that he was inspired by a Bollywood movies.
Devender Arya, the Deputy commissioner of police said Shubham’s wife, who is a struggling model too, helped her husband in this notorious crime. She was arrested on Thursday evening.
“His wife joined the probe. Her role will be examined and further action will be taken as per law,” said the Deputy Commissioner to Hindustan Times a leading daily. Five sim cards, four mobile phones, and several plastic cards which belonged to the victims were seized from Roy.
Vasant Kunj North police station have registered three separate cases on complaints from the 15 victims. The Deputy commissioner said the victims told police that Shubham introduced himself as a casting director of “Dream for Success”, a fake company he ran.
Police said Roy used to use various social media platforms to post his contact numbers and his agency details, he used to guarantee aspiring models photoshoots or short films.
He sent messages to models who posted their profiles on social media. Roy used to call them to different hotels in Delhi’s Mahipalpur and book rooms for them.
“Roy would trick them into sharing their bank details by saying they were part of photoshoot demanded by an international firm and their earnings will be received in their account in foreign currency,” said an investigator to Hindustan Times.
Roy convinced the models into leaving their mobile phones and other belongings with him added the investigator “Whenever an opportunity comes, Roy would flee with their belongings and transfer money into his accounts though various mobile money transfer applications,”.
DCP Devender Arya said Roy is resident of Ranhola, Delhi, he wanted to become a model. He used work in low budget photo shoots and fashion events. Later he became financially unstable and started his fake company to con people, he said.