Actress accused of cheating man of Rs 9.35 cr with marriage promise; case registered

HYDERABAD: A case has been registered against an actress and her family on a complaint that they allegedly cheated a man of Rs 9.35 crore through a "honey trap" using a false promise of marriage. The case has been registered against Telugu actress and social media influencer Ashu Reddy, aka Venkata Ashwini Reddy and her family on the complaint lodged by Yenumala Satyanarayana Murthy, a software engineer based in the UK. In his complaint, Murthy alleged that his son Y V Dharmendra was defrauded by Ashu Reddy over several years. The case has been registered at the Hyderabad Central Crime Station.

According to the complaint, the fraud took place between 2018 and 2025. Dharmendra reportedly met Ashu Reddy in 2018 through a mutual friend. She allegedly told him that she had completed her master’s degree in the United States and was trying to build a career in films. At that time, Dharmendra was going through divorce proceedings.

The complaint states that after a few months of friendship, Ashu Reddy expressed willingness to marry Dharmendra. She also claimed that she had an H-1B visa but was not financially supported by her family. Based on this, she allegedly began taking financial help from him. Later, she reportedly took money for her film career, loans, and personal expenses. Dharmendra also purchased a flat near Lanco Hills in Hyderabad, which was later transferred to Ashu Reddy’s name.

In 2020, Dharmendra asked her to marry him, but she allegedly refused. With this, their relationship started to break down. The complaint further alleged that Ashu Reddy's mother, Koya Yashoda Reddy, and sister, Koya Divya Reddy, intervened to keep the relationship going. It is also claimed that Ashu Reddy was involved with another person during this time. The complaint adds that she later gave a blank cheque, promising to return Rs 70 lakh, but later took it back and destroyed it.