Rs.1.41 Crore Fraud: Surat Event Firm Duped in Fake Arijit Singh Concert Deal

SURAT : Surat’s booming entertainment industry has been jolted by a massive fraud case after a Mumbai-based event management company allegedly duped a Surat businessman of ₹1.41 crore by promising to organise high-profile live concerts featuring Bollywood singer Arijit Singh, comedian Kapil Sharma and actor-dancer Nora Fatehi. The case has raised serious concerns over fraudulent operators targeting Gujarat’s rapidly growing live entertainment market.

According to the complaint lodged at Uttaran Police Station, Abhishek Magan Borda, who operates Shubharambh Entertainment from Surat and resides at Marvel Luxury in Uttaran, along with his business partner, was allegedly lured into investing huge sums after meetings with representatives of Mumbai-based Base 52 Entertainment and Riddhi Siddhi Motion Picture Pvt. Ltd.

Police said the accused, identified as Aninda Seal and Ananthkumar Shivnath Gupta, allegedly projected themselves as influential figures in Bollywood. During meetings at their office in Andheri West, they reportedly displayed photographs, videos, agreements and promotional material featuring well-known celebrities to convince the Surat businessmen that they had direct access to top performers.

Investigators said the accused initially demanded ₹11 lakh as a token amount for organising an Arijit Singh concert in Surat. An MoU was signed and subsequent payments allegedly continued through bank transfers and cash over several months, taking the total amount paid to nearly ₹1.41 crore.

During police interrogation, Aninda Seal reportedly admitted that Base 52 Entertainment had previously managed concerts involving artists including Arijit Singh, Kapil Sharma and Nora Fatehi. However, he claimed his business suffered severe financial losses after several large-scale events failed, leaving him heavily indebted.

“As there are ups and downs in every person’s life, I too suffered financial setbacks. My money got stuck in unsuccessful Bollywood shows, and later Abhishek’s money also got trapped. I never intended to cheat anyone, but circumstances turned me into a criminal,” Seal allegedly told investigators.

With no concerts materialising despite repeated assurances, Borda approached Surat Police, leading to the registration of offences related to organised cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal intimidation against the accused and their companies.

Police officials said the investigation has now widened to examine bank transactions, financial records and whether similar frauds were committed elsewhere using the names of Bollywood celebrities. Authorities are also verifying whether other event organisers across Gujarat or India may have been targeted through similar promises.

The incident has sent shockwaves through Surat’s flourishing event management industry, with organisers urging businesses to conduct thorough due diligence before entering into high-value celebrity event agreements.