Farhan Akhtar's family driver arrested in ₹12L fraud case
What's the story
The Bandra Police have arrested a driver employed by veteran screenwriter Honey Irani, the mother of filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar, reported Free Press Journal. The accused, Naresh Singh (35), has been arrested for allegedly defrauding the family of ₹12L by misusing their credit cards. The fraud was discovered after an internal review by Irani's manager revealed financial discrepancies in fuel expenses.
Discovery
How the manager discovered fraud
The alleged fraud came to light on October 1 when Diya Bhatia, Irani's manager, noticed inconsistencies in fuel expenses. A Maruti vehicle owned by Irani was found to have been billed for 621L of diesel despite having a fuel tank capacity of only 35L. This prompted an immediate investigation into the matter.
Investigation
Driver gave inconsistent answers during questioning
When questioned about the fuel expenses, Singh reportedly offered inconsistent answers, claiming to have used only one card. However, further investigation revealed that three different cards in Akhtar's name had been used for unusually high transactions at a petrol pump in Bandra West. The probe also found entries showing the purchase of engine oil for a vehicle sold seven years earlier.
Arrest
Singh admitted to obtaining cards in 2022
When Bhatia confronted Singh in front of Irani, he confessed to the fraud. According to the FIR, Singh admitted to obtaining the cards in 2022 from Santosh Kumar, Akhtar's former driver. Following Bhatia's complaint, Bandra Police registered a case under relevant provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita: Sections 318 (criminal breach of trust) and 418 (cheating). Singh allegedly worked with Arun Singh, a 52-year-old employee at a petrol pump in Bandra West, to execute the fraud. Arun is reportedly absconding.
Accomplice
Total amount involved in alleged scam is approximately ₹12L
Instead of actually filling fuel, Singh would swipe the cards and get cash from Arun, who took a commission of around ₹1K-₹1.5K per transaction. The total amount involved in the alleged scam is approximately ₹12L. The case is still under investigation to ascertain the total amount misappropriated and if anyone else was involved in this scheme.