The Esplanade Court has issued non-bailable warrants against three accused in the fake followers case after they repeatedly failed to appear before the court on scheduled hearing dates. A total of four accused were arrested in this case.
The case was investigated in September 2020 by the Central Investigation Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Crime Branch. At that time, the CIU was headed by Sachin Vaze, who was later arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the recovery of gelatin sticks from an SUV near Antilia and the murder of Mansukh Hiren. Vaze is currently lodged in jail in connection with the same case.
Monday was the scheduled hearing in the fake followers case. During the proceedings, the court issued non-bailable warrants against accused Abhishek Dauda, Kasif Mansoor and Vijay Banthia for remaining absent. Advocate Arvind Singh, representing accused Premendra Sharma—who was arrested in the same case—said that this is a routine legal process, and if an accused and their lawyer remain absent for a prolonged period, the court is empowered to issue such orders.
The fake followers scam came to light after former Indian Idol contestant Bhoomi Trivedi lodged a police complaint regarding a fake account being operated in her name. Subsequent investigation by the Mumbai Police revealed that public relations agencies had artificially generated lakhs of fake followers for several celebrities through virtual means. Following this, then Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh took cognisance of the matter and ordered a probe by the Crime Branch.
During the investigation, the name of rapper Badshah also surfaced, and the police recorded his statement in connection with the case.