Mumbai: Conwoman who cheated guru, Bollywood celeb, strikes again

Hina Ramakant Sharma, the accused

The Bangur Nagar police have arrested Hina Ramakant Sharma, a woman accused of allegedly cheating a writer and spiritual speaker under the guise of offering electronic goods at discounted prices in 2022. Sharma, who worked as a manager in the writer's office, was apprehended last week in Delhi by the Bangur Nagar police. She was brought to Mumbai on transit remand and remanded to judicial custody on March 30. According to police sources, Sharma is the same individual who defrauded Bollywood celebrity Prince Narula in 2020.

Her recent arrest pertained to a cheating case registered with the Bangur Nagar police in 2022. The complainant - a woman who creates motivational talk videos uploaded on social media - entrusted Sharma with editing and uploading the videos. When the writer's laptop broke down, Hina claimed that her friend in Ambernath could provide a replacement, along with other items such as a watch and a cell phone, at discounted rates. She also promised other items at a 15-20 per cent discount. In doing so, Sharma managed to swindle Rs 3.7 lakh from her to purchase the items.

After the money was transferred, the writer repeatedly contacted Sharma to inquire about the items. However, Sharma would claim that the goods were packed and ready to be dispatched from the godown, prolonging the deception. Realising she had been conned, the writer reported the incident to the Bangur Nagar police, leading to the registration of a case.

A team led by Assistant Police Inspectors Vivek Tambe and Rahul Bhadarge, under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Pramod Tawde and DCP Anand Bhoite initiated the investigation. The police gathered information about Sharma's whereabouts and learned that she was in Delhi, where she was apprehended last week. "During the investigation, it was revealed that Sharma had a history of deceiving people for amusement. She frequently changed her location to avoid being caught by the police," said an officer.

Also conned Prince Narula

According to sources, Sharma contacted Prince Narula and extended invitations for three events in Jodhpur. She allegedly sent a screenshot purportedly showing a deposit of Rs 10 lakh through RTGS into a bank account as an advance payment to Narula.

Trusting the authenticity of the transaction, he honoured the invitation and travelled to Jodhpur. However, upon checking the bank account on the third day, Narula discovered that the promised amount had not been transferred. Subsequently, a case was filed at Sardarpur police station based on a complaint by Narula's manager Vikas Singh and Sharma was arrested on the same day.

Following Sharma's arrest, another case of cheating came to light. Sharma had duped a young man of Rs 1.2 lakh by luring him to become a model. The youth's mother filed a case against Sharma at Ratanada police station after the Narula case arrest as the family became aware of her fraudulent activities.

2020
Year Sharma tried to cheat Prince Narula