Cops arrest V Kumar for allegedly cheating the lyricist and other B-town folk to the tune of Rs 95 lakh on the pretext of offering them flats at cheaper rates

The Oshiwara police yesterday arrested a man for allegedly duping Bollywood personalities such as director duo Abbas-Mustan, director Ashok Gaikwad, lyricist Sameer and singer Aadesh Shrivastav.


Lyricist Sameer (second from right) and the
accused Varinder Kumar (left) in better times

The accused identified as Varinder Kumar, better known as V Kumar, had promised to give them MHADA flats at a cheaper rate.

According to the police, the accused had duped Sameer and other film personalities to the tune of Rs 95 lakh and cops are investigating if he has been involved in any other cheating cases.

Modus operandi
According to the cops, Kumar would lure the celebrities on the pretext of offering homes at profitable rates and then skip town with the money.

Speaking to MiD DAY about the incident, Sameer said, "In 2009, Kumar approached me and said he would sell me a MHADA apartment at a reasonable rate under the Chief Minister's quota.
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He asked me to join his company named VG Productions, as only employees were allowed flats. After being convinced, I became the creative director of his production house."

Sameer added, "He made several serials and also a film by the name of Agni The Fire.u00a0Convinced of the scheme, I wrote him a cheque for the amount.
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However, every time I brought up the issue of the flat, he kept asking me for a few days' time. Eventually, I asked him for the money back, but he became unavailable and started eluding me."

Sameer also said that Kumar had duped other celebrities too.

Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested Kumar from his Lokhandwala home yesterday. "Kumar has been arrested from Twin Towers in Lokhandwala. He will be produced in Andheri Court today.
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It was difficult to nab him because he kept changing his number every 15 days. He duped lyricist Sameer and others to the tune of Rs 95 lakh," said inspector Dilip Rupwate of Oshiwara police station.