Renowned Marathi actor Sagar Karande fell prey to a massive online fraud and lost a whopping Rs 61 lakh in the scam which began with just 'liking' posts on social media platform, Instagram. The actor was reportedly promised payouts for liking posts on the platform and he was tempted with assurances of maximum return with minimum work.
It all began after Sagar received a message on WhatsApp from an unknown number, claiming to be a woman. She then sent him an Instagram link and said that he could earn Rs 150 crore for every like on a post, and the actor found the deal easy and lucrative.
Sagar thus agreed to participate and he even received 10 transactions, amounting to Rs 11,000, after liking several posts on Instagram. He believed the gig to be genuine and continued with the task.
Taking advantage of Sagar's trust, the scamsters asked him to invest money, promising him higher returns. They even set up a wallet for the actor, which showed him his 'earnings'. He then attempted to withdraw Rs 27 lakh from the wallet, but the scamsters informed him that the funds could be withdrawn only after 100 per cent completion of the task, and he was 80 per cent there.
Later, the miscreants asked Sagar to invest Rs 19 lakh to complete the task, and he was also asked to pay 30 per cent tax to withdraw the full amount. The actor thus ended up paying Rs 61.83 lakh in total.
But despite investing the huge sum, Sagar did not receive any returns, and when he inquired, he was told that he had deposited the tax amount in the 'wrong account', and the fraudsters asked him to pay more money. That is when the actor grew suspicious and reached out to the cyber cell to lodge a complaint.
An investigation has now been launched.
Sagar is one of the most popular faces in the Marathi film industry and he is known for his impeccable comic timing and screen presence. He shot to fame with his comedy in Fu Bai Fu, and he became a household name with the show, Chala Hawa Yeu Dya.
