Inspired by 'Farzi', Mumbai men sell fake garba passes to earn Rs 30 lakh, arrested

Taking inspiration from "Farzi", a graphic designer in Mumbai was arrested after he allegedly produced and tried to sell 1,000 counterfeit garba passes in the city. (Image credit (left): Instagram/ShahidKapoor).

The crime thriller "Farzi", starring Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi that was released on OTT platform Amazon Prime Video in February revolved around the story of a disillusioned man who decides to make counterfeit money. The story was popular among the masses, upon release, and Kapoor confirmed last week that there will be a second season of the series.

Taking inspiration from the series, a graphic designer in Mumbai was arrested after he allegedly produced and tried to sell 1,000 counterfeit garba passes in the city in an attempt to earn Rs 30 lakh, an Indian Express report said.

Local police arrested 29-year-old Karan Shah on Sunday, for his involvement in the scheme behind making these passes for the Durgadevi Navratra Utsav Samiti event in the Borivali area of the city. Police also arrested three of Shah's associates- 24-year-olds Kavish Patil and Darshan Gohil and 35-year-old Paresh Nevrekar- for their involvement in the case.

The price range for the original passes hovered between Rs 3,000-3,800. Shah, though, sold the fake passes for Rs 2,600.

"During interrogation, Shah admitted that he was inspired by Shahid Kapoor’s web series Farzi to make fake passes of the event and earn quick money," a police officer investigating the issue said.

Local police officials became aware of the fraudulent activities after many brought the fake passes and later made their way to the authorised stalls for the garba event and asked about the authenticity of the passes, issued to them. Authorities at the event informed them that the passes were fake and additional investigation revealed that the passes were brought from Gohil.

The event organisers filed a police complaint at a local police station which led to the arrest of the four individuals. The case report said that the serial numbers on the passes were not up for sale.