Mumbai: Bollywood actor and filmmaker Deepak Tijori has lodged a complaint with Bangur Nagar Police alleging that three individuals cheated him of ₹5 lakh under the guise of arranging financial backing for his upcoming film. Police have registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against the accused Kavita Shibagh Cooper, Fouzia Arshi, and another unidentified person after the fraud came to light in Goregaon.
New film project underway
Tijori, a well-known actor-director since the 1990s and known for his debut film Aashiqui, had been working on the script of his new Hindi film Tom, Dick and Mary since December 2024. As he was searching for financial support for the project, a friend introduced him to accused Kavita Cooper, who claimed to be associated with T-Series.
Tijori met Kavita and shared details about his project. She allegedly told him she had strong connections within Zee Network and the media industry and assured him that she could facilitate funding for his film. Tijori later learned that Kavita had resigned from T-Series.
Meeting with alleged producer
In February 2025, Kavita introduced him to Fouzia Arshi at Fouzia’s residence in Oshiwara. Fouzia claimed to be a film producer and said she was soon launching an airline company. She further claimed she had significant influence within Zee Network and could arrange a “Letter of Interest” from the company, which would help Tijori secure investors for his film.
For obtaining this letter, Fouzia allegedly demanded ₹5 lakh to be paid in two instalments of ₹2.5 lakh each. To win his trust, she arranged a phone call between Tijori and a man who introduced himself as “Mr. Joshi” from Zee Network. Believing the claims to be genuine, Tijori paid ₹2.5 lakh as the first instalment.
Accused go incommunicado
The accused promised the letter within a week and even signed an agreement to that effect. However, despite the payment, they failed to deliver the promised document and began avoiding Tijori’s calls and inquiries.
Sensing something amiss, Tijori independently verified the details and discovered that no individual named “Joshi” worked at Zee Network. He further realised that the women had used the names of reputed companies like T-Series and Zee Network to deceive him.
Following this revelation, Tijori approached Bangur Nagar Police and filed a complaint. A case of cheating and misappropriation has been registered against Kavita Cooper, Fouzia Arshi, and their accomplice.
Police said that all three accused will soon be summoned for questioning, and appropriate legal action will be taken after the investigation.
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