MEERUT, Oct. 24 -- Bollywood actors Shreyas Talpade and Alok Nath have been named among 22 accused in a major fraud case registered in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, police said. The accused allegedly defrauded over 500 investors of nearly Rs.5 crore by luring them into investing in a fake cooperative society that promised to double their money within five years. It is alleged that the two actors were brand ambassadors of the cooperative society, which helped lend credibility to the scheme.

Baghpat Kotwali station house officer DK Tyagi confirmed that an FIR had been registered on October 20 against all 22 accused under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 21 ...