Mumbai Crime: 18-Year-Old Aspiring Actress Duped With Fake Web Series Offer, Blackmailed With Morphed Photos; Case Registered

Mumbai: The D. N. Nagar Police have registered a case against four individuals for allegedly duping an 18-year-old aspiring actress under the pretense of offering her a role in a web series. The accused reportedly took money from the victim through online means and later threatened to make her morphed photos viral on social media if she failed to send more money.

According to the police, the victim, Ratanpriya Amit Singh, originally from Bihar, is currently pursuing an engineering degree at a college in Panvel. She received a WhatsApp message on June 11 from an individual identifying himself as “Bhavesh,” who claimed to be a producer associated with “GM Studio.” He mentioned a director named Rahul Patel and offered her a role in an upcoming web series.

Believing the offer to be genuine, Ratanpriya shared her portfolio, Instagram handle, and YouTube links with Bhavesh. He continued communication over the next few days, discussing the project’s storyline and even introduced her to a man named Shivam Agarwal, supposedly her co-actor.

Messages from an Instagram account named "shivam jay" further reinforced the appearance of a legitimate production. Bhavesh then asked her to transfer ₹2,000 for flight arrangements, followed by additional demands totalling ₹7,836, citing ticketing and a medical emergency. The payments were made through Google Pay to an India Post Payments Bank account.

On June 13, she was asked to meet Shivam at Metro INOX Theatre in Churchgate for a “rapport-building” session. Curiously, Shivam used the alias “Bhavesh” at the ticket counter. After the meeting, he dropped her off at Andheri.

Later that day, Bhavesh informed her that Shivam was behaving unusually and asked her to meet him again. When she refused, the tone of the conversation turned coercive. After she blocked Bhavesh’s number, she received a morphed obscene photograph of herself and a demand for ₹40,000. He threatened to share the image with her father and post it on social media if she did not comply.

The harassment escalated as Bhavesh contacted her on a number previously identified as belonging to her sister, issuing repeated threats. Despite blocking multiple numbers, she continued receiving extortion calls late into the night of June 17, with threats of public defamation unless she contacted another given number.

Shaken and fearing for her safety and reputation, Ratanpriya approached the DN Nagar Police and filed a complaint. She has named Bhavesh, Shivam Agarwal, and other unidentified persons as the accused.

The D. N. Nagar Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act. They have begun an investigation and are examining all digital evidence.