Case registered against former Indian cricketer for duping Rs 15 lakh by promising contract

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Rajesh Chauhan has been booked for allegedly cheating a businessman of more than Rs 15 lakh by promising him a transport contract linked to a steel company. The Mohan Nagar Police registered the case on the directions of a court.

The complaint was filed by Dinkar Vishwamitra, who alleged that Chauhan introduced himself as a former international cricketer with close connections to prominent industrialists. Chauhan allegedly claimed that he had secured a transport contract for transporting iron ore for Jindal Steel in Odisha's Keonjhar district.

According to the complaint, Chauhan said the contract had been awarded to his firm, Govind Transport Company. He allegedly promised Vishwamitra substantial profits if he invested in the business by purchasing trucks and even showed him a purported work order to support his claims.

Believing Chauhan's assurances, Vishwamitra entered into an agreement with him on July 30, 2021, and initially paid Rs 2.51 lakh by cheque. He later transferred another Rs 15.01 lakh in two instalments.

When Chauhan allegedly stopped responding, Vishwamitra contacted Jindal Steel and discovered that the work order was fake. After receiving no action on complaints filed with the Mohan Nagar Police and the Durg Superintendent of Police, he approached the court, which directed the police to register a cheating case against the former cricketer.

Denying the allegations, Chauhan described the matter as a business dispute. He said he had already returned part of the money and that personal reasons had delayed repayment of the remaining amount.

Rajesh Chauhan represented India in 21 Test matches and 35 One-Day Internationals between 1993 and 1998. An off-spinner, he was part of India's renowned spin trio in the 1990s alongside Anil Kumble and Venkatapathy Raju.