Surat: A Surat-based event manager has accused two Mumbai residents of cheating him out of Rs 1.41 crore after allegedly promising to organise a concert by popular singer Arijit Singh in the city, but neither conducting the event nor returning the money. Utran police have registered a case against the duo, who are said to be linked to the entertainment and film industry.

According to the police complaint, 28-year-old Abhishek Borda, who runs an event management business called Shubharambh Entertainment at A.R. Mall in the Mota Varachha area, and his partner, Nandish Zadfiya, had decided to organise a major live show in Surat in 2024. During this period, they were contacted by Mumbai-based Aninda Seal, Director of Base 52 Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., and Anantkumar Shivnath Gupta, Director of Riddhi Siddhi Motion Pictures Pvt. Ltd.

As per the complaint, the accused claimed that organising the concert would cost around Rs 9 crore. They allegedly assured the complainants that they would arrange sponsorships and promotional support to reduce the financial burden.

Police said the accused allegedly collected money from the complainants on multiple occasions under different pretexts after making these assurances.

As part of the proposed arrangement, the complainants were reportedly taken to Pune to attend an Arijit Singh concert, with all travel and related expenses borne by them. The accused also allegedly stayed at luxury hotels in Surat and Mumbai at the complainants’ expense.

When the promised Arijit Singh concert did not materialise, the accused allegedly offered to organise events featuring comedian Kapil Sharma and actor-dancer Nora Fatehi. However, those shows also never took place.

After repeated attempts to recover the money failed, the complainant approached Utran police and filed a complaint alleging a fraud of Rs 1.41 crore. DeshGujarat