Actor-producer Mahesh Thakur was duped of Rs. 5.40 crore which he had paid to a lawyer from Haryana to bail him out of a property dispute. The Oshiwara police in Bombay on September 20 registered an FIR against 34-year-old Mayank Goyal, based on a written complaint by the 54-year-old actor-producer.
Goyal made Thakur believe that he had done documentation at the high court and Supreme Court. Through online video conferences, Goyal also showed fake audio and video clips of court hearings.
The fraud started in August 2021 when Goyal came in contact with Thakur. He collected money from Thakur between August 2021 and September 2022, before he went into hiding and switched off his mobile phone.
A case under IPC sections 406 (breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) was registered against Mayank Goyal.