HYDERABAD: Socialite Shilpa Chowdary allegedly gave fake gold jewellery and fake cheques as surety in return for Rs 2.90 crore investment from veteran Tollywood actor Krishna’s daughter Priyadarshini.
The socialite and her husband were arrested recently and there are three official cheating complaints, totalling Rs 7.05 crore, including the one by Priyadarshini.
Once money parted hands, Shilpa allegedly stopped taking Priyadarshini’s calls, cops said. Priyadarshini realised that she had been taken for a ride in August when she decided to recover her money by encashing the three surety cheques and the bank told her they were fakes, the police said.
“The bank authorities did not accept the cheques and told her they were fakes,” a Narsingi cop said.
Gold chain was fake: Cop
Later, when the gold chain was verified, it also turned out to be a fake,” the cop added citing the complaint given by Priyadarshini.
Subsequently, Priyadarshini sent her associates to Shilpa’s house at a high-end gated community in Gandipet, but they were allegedly threatened by the accused and made to leave, police said. There was no response when TOI tried to reach Priyadarshini.
When TOI contacted another complainant, Rohini Reddy, she declined to give details except to say that “anyone who speaks to Shilpa for an hour would fall in her trap”. While three cases have been registered so far based on the complaints of Divya Reddy (Rs 1.05 crore), Priyadarshini (Rs 2.90 crore) and Rohini (Rs 3.1 crore), police said that there are many more highprofile victims who are not willing to make an official complaint, mostly because the money is not accounted for.
