Bollywood actress Vidya Balan filed a police complaint against an unknown individual who created a fake social media profile using her name. This fraudulent profile was used to engage with people regarding work opportunities. The Khar police initiated an FIR under the Information Technology Act on Feb 19.
The 45-year-old actress submitted a written application to the Khar police station on Jan 20 through her manager, Aditi Sandhu. Following a preliminary inquiry, the police registered an FIR. As per the FIR, Balan was informed by a contact from the film industry on Jan 16 that they had received a message from a WhatsApp number claiming to be the actress and expressing interest in work. Balan confirmed that the number was not hers.
Between Jan 17 and Jan 19, other acquaintances informed her about a fake Instagram account 'vidya.balan.pvt' and a fraudulent email address 'vidyabalanspeaks@gmail.com' created in her name. The imposter was reaching out to industry professionals, pretending to be her, and offering work opportunities. The police are conducting further investigations into the matter.