RAIPUR: A Judicial Magistrate First Class court in Chhattisgarh's Durg district has directed local police to initiate a probe according to the law against former Indian off-spin bowler Rajesh Chauhan in an alleged fraud case amounting to ₹15 lakh.
Accepting an application filed under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the court of Judicial Magistrate Aishwarya Dewan instructed the police to complete the investigation and submit a final report to the court.
“The court has asked the Durg police to conduct an investigation into the allegation against the former Indian Cricketer in some transport related fraud. We will submit the report following which the court will give the instruction to the police in the given complaint”, Vijay Agrawal, Durg senior superintendent of police told TNIE.
According to the complaint filed by applicant Dinkar Vishwamitra, he was introduced to Rajesh Chauhan through a mutual friend, Saroj Kumar. Claiming his status as an international cricketer, Chauhan allegedly stated that his company, Govind Transport Company, had secured a contract for transporting iron ore and other materials for Jindal Steel Limited in Keonjhar, Odisha.
Promising substantial profits, Chauhan allegedly lured the victim into a partnership by asking him to provide trucks for the operations. To build trust, Chauhan reportedly showed fabricated work orders and official documents to convince the applicant.
According to the applicant’s advocate, Saurabh Chaubey, an agreement was signed between Dinkar and Rajesh Chauhan on July 30, 2021. The victim made an initial payment of ₹2.51 lakh. Subsequently, a total sum of ₹15.01 lakh was transferred to the account of Govind Transport Company in two separate installments, the lawyer stated.
The court noted that the grounds exist indicating unlawful financial gain under the guise of a business transaction and instructed the police to thoroughly investigate the matter and submit a detailed report.
Chauhan represented Team India in 21 Test matches during the 1990s, taking 47 wickets. He also played 35 One Day Internationals.