Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant had been duped by Haryana cricketer Mrinank Singh, who had recently been arrested for duping a businessman by offering him cheap watches and mobile phones.
The left-hander alongside his manager, Puneet Solanki, filed a case against Mrinank as he was duped for Rs 1,63,00,000 last year in February through a bounced cheque.
The Saket court last week issued a notice to the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai to present Singh while he was arrested by the Juhu police earlier this month for allegedly cheating a city-based businessman of Rs 6 lakh.
It has been noted that Pant desired to buy a Franck Muller Vanguard Yachting Series watch and paid Rs 36,25,120 for a Crazy Colour Watch alongside Rs 62,60,000 for a Richard Mille watch.
Pant’s complaint stated that Singh deceived him by providing false references in order to gain Pant’s trust. The complaint also included details on the cost of the watches produced, as well as a mutual oral settlement of INR 1.63 crore.
“In January 2021, Mrinank told Pant and Solanki that he had started a business of buying and selling luxury watches, bags, jewellery, etc. He gave references to several cricketers to whom he claimed to have sold the goods. He falsely represented to Pant and his manager that he could procure luxury watches and other accessories for them at good discounts and very cheap prices†the complaint stated.
“Believing in the story of the accused, Pant handed over a luxury watch and few jewellery items in the month of Feb 2021 to the accused, that were purchased by him for Rs 65,70,731/- (Sixty Five Lakh Seventy Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty One only) for resale (sic),†the complaint added.
The sources also revealed that a film director and several hotels have all been conned by Singh with fake references.