MUMBAI: On Friday evening, the Oshiwara police in Mumbai registered a case against Television actor Urfi Javed for allegedly sending police on a wild goose chase and defaming the Mumbai police after she posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing two women, posing as constables in police uniform, picks her from outside a coffee shop in Andheri (West) and made her sit in a black SUV with police written on the glass.
The four others who acted for Urfi have also been booked.
The message which was posted on Friday on X by Mix Masala read: "'Urfi Javed' is detained by Mumbai police for wearing inappropriate clothes in public places."
The message soon went viral and the Oshiwara police were made to run around searching for her whereabouts and finally ended up with a wild hunt on learning it was scripted by Urfi herself, said the police.
According to the Oshiwara police, it was a publicity stunt that Urfi had scripted by hiring two women to play constables and a man to pose as an inspector.
"It has been learned that Javed has paid Rs 1,000 to each of the three people who played the role of cops. They are extras working in Bollywood. Meanwhile, she paid Rs2,000 to the production manager who provided her with three people to act for her in the 38-second video," said a police officer of the Oshiwara police station.
After defaming the Mumbai police, according to the police, Urfi switched off her mobile after leaving a message that she was in Dubai. "It was a publicity stunt that Javed did to increase her followers on social media," said the police. No arrest has been made in the case.
A notice has been issued to the people seen in the video and Urfi. DCP (Zone IX) Krishnakant Upadhaya said a case has been filed under the Indian Penal Code sections 171 (Wearing garb or carrying a token used by a public servant with fraudulent intent), 419 (impersonation), 500 (defamation), and 34 (common intention) against Urfi and four others involved in defaming the Mumbai police. The vehicle in the video has been seized. The person namely, Ganpat, who had done the role of inspector has been taken into custody and further action and investigation are ongoing.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.V Narayan, principal correspondent at The Times of India in Mumba...
Read MoreV Narayan, principal correspondent at The Times of India in Mumbai, covers city crime, among other things. Lots of travelling, meeting people and developing contacts are his interests.
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