Aftab Shivdasani has fallen prey to a cyber-fraud scheme, resulting in a loss of ₹1.50 lakh. The incident took place last Sunday, with a formal case registered the following day, as confirmed by police on Tuesday.
Officials from the Bandra police station stated that the actor received an unsolicited text message from an unfamiliar mobile number. The message claimed that he needed to update his Know Your Customer (KYC) information associated with a well-known private sector bank. The message warned that failure to comply would lead to the suspension of his account. Believing it to be genuine, Shivdasani clicked on the provided link and followed the instructions. Tragically, he received a notification shortly after, indicating that ₹1,49,999 had been debited from his account.
Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Shivdasani promptly contacted the bank’s branch manager on Monday. Following the manager’s guidance, he proceeded to file a police complaint.
A case was registered against the fraudsters under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 420 (cheating), and sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act. An ongoing investigation is underway to identify those responsible for this cybercrime.
Aftab Shivdasani, renowned for his roles in Bollywood films such as “Mast,” “Masti,” and “Hungama,” joins the list of victims of such fraudulent schemes. Regrettably, these scams have targeted other notable individuals in the past, including Ayesha Shroff, who lost ₹58 lakhs, and actor Annu Kapoor, who was defrauded of ₹4 lakhs through a similar bank KYC ruse. In Kapoor’s case, the fraudster acquired his banking details and persuaded him to share his One-Time Password (OTP), resulting in an unauthorized transfer of ₹4.36 lakh, leaving the actor in distress.