India’s star cricketer Rishabh Pant has been allegedly duped of Rs 1.63 crore and other luxurious items, including jewellery, by a Haryana cricketer named Mrinank Singh. The 24-year-old Delhi Capitals captain was conned by Mrinank on the pretext of getting him expensive watches at a “reasonable rate”.
Mrirank, who is currently held at a jail in Mumbai for cheating a businessman, gave a cheque of Rs 1.63 crore to Pant upon being sent a legal notice by the Delhi cricketer but the cheque was dishonoured, revealed Pant’s lawyer Eklavya Dwivedi, who explained the timeline of events to Sports Today.
“This is basically a case under negotiable instruments act where the cheque issued by the accused Mr. Mrinank Singh has been dishonoured on account of insufficient funds,” said Dwivedi. “To take the story back a little bit, how these two met, how it actually transpired and why this cheque was issued was sometime in 2020 or 2021. Mr. Mrinank Singh, who was known to my client Rishabh Pant through their cricketing commonalities. They met somewhere in the zonal cricket academy camp.”
The lawyer further revealed that Pant was fooled by Mrinank into believing that he has started a new business where he deals with luxury items and could provide them to Pant at a good price. He also gave Mrinank some other expensive items, including jewellery, after he was promised a huge profit on their resale values.
“So in 2021, Mr. Mrinank Singh falsely misrepresented to my client that he has just started a new business dealing in luxury items and he could procure the same items for it at a very reasonable cost. Therefore, on this proposal, he transferred a sizeable account to Mr. Mrinank Singh and also parted with certain luxurious items, jewellery etc which were also for, relatively high amounts, anticipating that the accused Mrinank Singh would be able to resell the same and give him huge profits for it,” Dwivedi said.
Upon Mrinank’s failure to live up to his promises, a legal notice was sent to him. In an agreement of mutual settlement, Mrinank issued a cheque but it bounced in February 2021.
“After a while, when he was not able to obtain those articles, we gave him a legal notice and a mutual settlement was arrived at Rs 1.63 crore for which Mr. Mrinank Singh issues us a cheque. Now, once we presented this cheque before the bank authorities, we got a return memo saying that there has been a dishonourment of the cheque and it has bounced because of insufficient funds,” he further explained.
Dwivedi further revealed that with an interest levied on the amount owed, Pant is eligible to receive Rs 1.8 to 1.9 crore. A hearing on the case is pending after the accused failed to show up at the last court proceeding but is expected to be present on the next date (19 July) virtually.
“He was not present in the last listing of our case before the magistrate. So, the magistrate has issued directors to the SHO over there (police authorities) to connect him virtually at the next date of hearing, which is July 19. He will be present that day and his statement will be recorded. We have also filed an application under section 143A for interim compensation. That will also be taken up and arguments will be heard on that,” Dwivedi concluded.