A case has been registered at Bandra Police Station against a father-son duo and others for allegedly defrauding the government and banks of crores of rupees under the pretense of organizing the 'Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards.'
The accused have been identified as Anil Mishra and his son Abhishek Mishra. The case was filed based on a complaint by Sameer Dixit, Maharashtra President of the BJP Film Union.
According to Dixit's complaint, he received information about the 'Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards' scheduled to be held on February 19-20 at a five-star hotel in Bandra. The event was organized by "International Tourism Festival Private Limited," owned by Anil Mishra and his wife.
Dixit alleged that Mishra falsely advertised the event online, presenting it as being connected to the official Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which is conferred by the President of India. Mishra also uploaded letters of appreciation on their website, supposedly from President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Tourism Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Mishra is accused of falsely portraying the event as government-supported and soliciting sponsorships from 12 major companies, as well as from the tourism departments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, and Maharashtra.
Dixit further claimed that Mishra lured people by promising Bollywood celebrity appearances and sold VIP couple tickets at Rs 2.5 lakh each on online ticket platforms.
Mumbai Police have confirmed that they are verifying the claims made in Dixit's statement and are investigating the financial transactions related to the incident.