23 May,2022 09:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Mrinank Singh told Rishabh Pant that he had started a business of buying and selling luxury watches, bags, etc. File pic
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Noted cricketer Rishabh Pant, the captain of IPL team Delhi Capitals, also fell victim to former Haryana cricketer Mrinank Singh, who is under arrest for duping a businessman by offering to get him expensive watches and mobile phones at a cheap rate. mid-day has learnt that Singh allegedly duped Pant of Rs 1,63,00,000 last year in February. In June that year he gave a cheque of the amount to Pant after repeated calls by the cricketer and his manager, but it bounced.
Pant, through his manager, Puneet Solanki, filed a case against Singh before the Saket court at Delhi in September 2021 under Section 143A of Negotiable Instruments Act. The section is a beneficial and has equitable provision which allows for the payment of interim compensation to the extent of 20 per cent to the complainant. The Saket court last week issued a notice to the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai to present Singh before it through video conferencing on July 19.
According to the complaint, in January 2021, Singh told Pant and Solanki that he had started a business of buying and selling luxury watches, bags, jewellery, etc. He gave references of 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 on good discounts and very cheap prices, the complaint said.
Singh also told Pant and his manager that he could exchange and resell luxury watches, jewellery and other accessories for a handsome price. "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 further reads.
The complaint also states that from February 18 to March 29, Pant paid Rs 1,01,55,120 to Singh from his different bank accounts. The payment was made to buy a Franck Muller Vanguard Yatching Series watch. Pant also paid Rs 36,25,120 for a Crazy Colour Watch and Rs 62,60,000 for a Richard Mille watch. As per the complaint, for the Richard Mille watch Singh told Pant that it is valued at 1,52,087.84 GBP, which on conversion to Indian rupees is approximately Rs 1,52,00,000. In the month of March Pant paid Singh Rs 2,70,000 to procure an off white Arrow Stencil back pack, Fendi ff motif messenger bag, Givenchy Spectre gradient-print backpack, a Valentino Garavani VLTN tote bag, Philipp Plein teddy bear patch card holder and a VLTN Times tote bag.
Pant and his manager followed up with Singh for the past few months to get the goods he was paid for, or the money. "Finally despite several reminders and inability to get the goods, the deal was cancelled, resultantly, the said amount become legally enforceable debt due and payable by the accused to the complainant. A mutual oral settlement was arrived at for Rs 1,63,00,000 (sic)," the complaint says further.
Singh issued a cheque to Pant on May 19, 2021 but it was returned by the bank due to insufficient funds. Following this, Pant sent two legal notices to Singh and then filed the complaint before the Saket court in Delhi under Negotiable Instruments Act,1881.
Singh was arrested by Juhu police earlier this month for allegedly cheating a city-based businessman of R6 lakh by offering to get him expensive watches and mobile phones at a cheap rate. After mid-day's report about this, a film director had also alleged that he was cheated by Singh.
Singh, 23, allegedly also duped several hotels by not paying for his stays, claiming he was a Mumbai Indians player and that the team manager would clear his tab. The police said there are multiple victims of Singh duped using similar modus operandi.
