Mumbai's Amboli police booked three—including a former Hari Media manager and a CEO—for embezzling Rs1.41 crore via fake projects and forged documents. The accused forged celebrity signatures and submitted fake invoices involving brands like Havells and Mahindra. The scam included misusing company emails to secure fraudulent deals and siphoning money into personal accounts.

Mumbai: The Amboli police have booked three individuals for allegedly embezzling Rs 1.41 crore from Hari Media Network Private Limited through a series of fake projects and forged documents. The accused are Rishbh Sureka, a former senior manager–client servicing (influencer marketing) at the company, Yash Nagarkoti, CEO of Hooray Movies, and Ashay Shastri.

About The Case

Sureka is accused of forging actress Athiya Shetty’s signature and creating a fake email ID in the name of actor Arshad Warsi to execute the fraud. Hari Media Network, which provides advertising and marketing services, has its head office in Haryana and a branch in Andheri West, Mumbai, opposite Yash Raj Films. Sureka joined in July 2023 and was authorised to handle influencer branding, project coordination, and communications with the finance team and CEO.

Soon after joining, Sureka received an interest-free loan of Rs 15 lakh from the company for his mother’s medical treatment. The fraud came to light through multiple fake invoices. In August 2024, Sureka claimed a Havells project featuring actress Dia Mirza required Rs31 lakh for Hooray Movies, which was approved. He allegedly told Nagarkoti the payment would be Rs 62 lakh.

After completion, Nagarkoti withheld the video and demanded the extra amount, citing a forged email from Sureka. The company paid an additional Rs 19 lakh to release the video. Investigations revealed Sureka, Nagarkoti, and Shastri conspired to submit forged bills in the names of brands like Havells, Mahindra Lifespaces, Realme Number Series, and Birla Estates. These fake claims totalled over Rs 52 lakh, transferred to Sureka’s personal account.

In January 2024, Sureka misused the company’s email to approach Matrix Entertainment, Athiya Shetty’s talent managers, and independently secured a Rs40 lakh advertisement with Khanna Jewellers. He forged Shetty’s signature on a fake agreement, collected Rs15 lakh from the jeweller, and did not pass it to Matrix. He also created a fake Zomato invoice involving Shetty and cricketer KL Rahul.