Actor Shreyas Talpade Among 15 Named In Multi-Crore Scam Targeting UP Villagers

Actor Shreyas Talpade, renowned for his roles in the 'Golmaal' series, 'Iqbal', and 'Dor', is caught up in a multi-crore scandal for allegedly swindling villagers in Uttar Pradesh's Mahoba district.

The Jammu & Kashmir Police have filed a fraud case against him and 14 others, accusing them of enticing people with a misleading chit fund scheme.

Photo Credit: PTI

FIR Against Shreyas Talpade for Deceiving Villagers

The group is said to have been linked to 'The Loni Urban Multistate Credit and Thrift Cooperative Society Limited,' a firm that preyed on rural investors with promises of lucrative returns.

According to Live Hindustan, the accused assured villagers that their investments would double in a short timeframe.

However, police revealed that after amassing crores from the villagers, the accused shut down the company and vanished. They had reportedly been running this scam in Mahoba for the past decade.

An investigation has been launched following the registration of a case at Srinagar police station, with further steps to be determined once the probe concludes. It's alleged that Talpade served as the brand ambassador for the scheme, persuading unsuspecting villagers to invest their money.

Shreyas Talpade's Legal Woes

The Loni Urban Multistate Credit and Thrift Cooperative Society Limited also operated 35 unauthorised branches in Uttarakhand, where it similarly defrauded investors. This isn't Talpade's first brush with legal trouble.

In February, he and veteran actor Alok Nath faced a case in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly cheating investors out of over Rs. 9 crore. The pair have also been implicated in a multi-crore fraud in Sonipat, Haryana.

Despite these legal entanglements, his career appears unaffected so far. Talpade is preparing for 'Welcome To The Jungle', a riotous comedy featuring co-stars Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, and others.

He's also lined up for 'Housefull 5', another star-packed film with Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, and more in the cast.