Who is Hargobind Tahilramani? 'Hollywood Con Queen' mastermind called in fake bomb threat to the US Embassy
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hargobind Tahilramani aka Gobind Lal Tahil is a mastermind of Hollywood's biggest scam 'Con Queen' as he scammed multiple people by impersonating males and females. He is originally from Jakarta, Indonesia and was born to immigrant parents from Pakistan and Hong Kong.
Hargobind was a food blogger and had an Instagram account, 'Purebytes', with more than 50,000 followers. According to the reports, Hargobind's father introduced him to the world of cinema as he was a film producer. The con artist was 18 years old when he moved to the US and attended community college in California. Hargobind also attended Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.
However, Hargobind started scamming people in the early 2000s when he was a student. He was a part of a lawsuit over the misappropriation of school funds. In 2008, Hargobind was arrested for embezzlement against his own family and was held in Jakarta's Cipinang prison.
When he was in prison, Hargobind imitated an Iranian accent and called in fake bomb threats to the US embassy in Jakarta. Anti-terror police tracked him down and traced the phone number to his cell. He later told the officials that he was joking.
Why was Hargobind Tahilramani arrested?
Hargobind Tahilramani was arrested in Manchester, England in November 2020, after he conned more than 300 artists, including Hollywood's A-list producers, actors, screenwriters and photographers. He was exposed with the help of K2 Integrity, a private investigation agency.
Hargobind was charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, among others. He impersonated the entertainment industry's most powerful women and lured unsuspecting victims to Indonesia with the promise of a life-changing career opportunity. The victims were required to pay their own expenses including, booking flights.
They also had to hand over large sums of money to chauffeurs who drove them around before meeting the executives. Multiple victims travelled to Indonesia several times before they were being scammed. Hargobind had been scammed victims for more than $1m.
When will 'Hollywood Con Queen' premiere?
'Hollywood Con Queen' is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, globally on Apple TV+. The docu-series will be released in three parts with the remaining parts airing on Wednesdays. The viewers could expect to be treated with the elaborate scam targeting Hollywood figures. Hargobind Tahilramani had scammed around 300 victims, including prominent figures like Kathleen Kennedy, Sherry Lansing, Amy Pascal, Wendi Deng Murdoch, and Stacey Snider.
Catch the three-part docuseries 'Hollywood Con Queen' on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, on Apple TV+.