Asian Games gold medal-winning sprinter Sarita Gayakwad has allegedly been cheated of INR 69.10 lakh after investing in a sand business that promised lucrative returns. The accused has been identified as Nitin Bharti.
Sarita Gayakwad, the gold-medal-winning sprinter at the Asian Games, has allegedly been cheated of INR 69.10 lakh by a man who promised her high returns on investing in his sand business. Police have confirmed the report on Monday, saying an investigation has begun on the matter.
The accused is identified as Nitin Bharti, a resident of Vyara town in Tapi district. An FIR has been registered against the person for duping the Asian Games gold medal-winning athlete.
Indian sprinter duped of over INR 69 lakh
According to Inspector K B Sankhla of the Ahwa police station, accused Nitin is currently absconding, and efforts are underway to catch him as soon as possible. He added that an FIR was also registered against the accused.
“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 revealed.
Police added that the case against Nitin was registered under sections 316(5) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to criminal breach of trust and aggravated cheating, respectively.
More from Sports32-year-old Gayakwad resides with her parents at Karadiamba village in Ahwa taluka of Dang district.
Gayakwad accuses Nitin of breach of trust
As per the FIR, Gayakwad was introduced to Bharti by Jitubhai, the sarpanch of Gadhvi gram panchayat in Dang district. The accused allegedly told the sprinter that he operated a large-scale sand business in Vyara, with vehicles transporting building material to Mumbai and had invested 3 crore to 4 crore of his own money in the business.
The report added that the accused promised the Indian athlete a monthly return of four per cent on her investment, promising to repay the principal amount after a year, and Gayakwad invested money in it, based on the assurances made by Nitin.
The accused repeatedly assured her about the repayment whenever Gayakwad contacted him. He allegedly sent a picture of a cheque for INR 30 lakh via WhatsApp, saying it was issued to repay her money, but she did not receive the cheque in person and has been unable to contact the accused for the past two months.
The police are investigating the case and are making efforts to nab the accused.