Ahmedabad, Nov 2 Asian Games gold medal-winning sprinter Sarita Gayakwad has allegedly been cheated of Rs 69.10 lakh by a man who promised her high returns on investment in his sand business in Gujarat, police said on Monday.
An FIR was registered against the man, Nitin Bharti, a resident of Vyara town in Tapi district, at the Ahwa police station in Dang district on October 29 based on a complaint filed by the athlete, said Inspector K B Sankhla of the Ahwa police station.
Gayakwad (32) lives at Karadiamba village in Ahwa taluka of Dang district with her parents.
“Gayakwad was duped of Rs 69.10 lakh allegedly by Bharti, who offered her high returns on her investment. Based on the complaint by the athlete, we have registered an FIR against the accused, who is absconding. Efforts were on to nab him,” Sankhla said.
The athlete, who won a gold medal as part of Indian women’s 4×400-metre relay team at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, claimed Bharti persuaded her to invest in his sand business by promising a monthly return of 4 per cent on the amount invested, according to the complaint.
According to the FIR, Gayakwad was introduced to Bharti in 2024 through a mutual acquaintance, Jitubhai, the sarpanch of Gadhvi gram panchayat in Dang district.
During their meeting, Bharti allegedly told her that he operated a large-scale sand business in Vyara, with vehicles transporting the building material to Mumbai.
He claimed to have invested Rs 3 crore to Rs 4 crore of his own money in the business and offered her a monthly return of 4 per cent on her investment, promising to repay the principal amount after one year, said the FIR.
The athlete said she invested money in the scheme based on these assurances. However, Bharti neither paid the promised monthly returns nor returned the principal amount after the agreed period, it stated.
According to the complaint, Bharti repeatedly gave assurances about repayment when she contacted him. He allegedly sent her a photograph of a cheque for Rs 30 lakh through WhatsApp, claiming it had been issued towards repayment of her money.
However, he did not hand over the cheque in person, and she had been unable to contact him over the phone for the past two months, the complaint alleged.
The FIR stated that the total amount allegedly invested by Gayakwad was Rs 69,10,059. The complainant accused Bharti of cheating her by failing to honour his commitments regarding repayment and returns.
The case against the accused was registered under Sections 316(5) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to criminal breach of trust and aggravated cheating, respectively, police added.
(PTI News)
