The Delhi Police have reported the arrest of a former cricketer who, after turning to fraudulent activities, has been accused of cheating numerous five-star hotels and resorts with a hefty amount. Rishabh Pant, an Indian cricketer, was one of them who got cheated by Mrinank Singh, the 25-year-old accused, who was reportedly driven by his fondness for luxuries, staying in 5-star hotels, and socializing with models. He used fake status to execute his schemes, posing at times as a successful cricketer, while, in other instances, he pretended to be a senior police officer from the state of Karnataka. The authorities have provided specific details about how Singh carried out his scams and tricked high-end hotels and resorts, as well as young women and bars, and how he was ultimately apprehended.
As per the police report, in 2021, Mrinank Singh conned Rishabh Pant, India's wicketkeeper-batsman, of Rs 1.6 crore. Singh and Pant knew each other from a zonal cricket academy where he played for the Haryana Under-19 team. Mirnank Singh assured Pant of providing him with expensive watches at reasonable prices. Believing Singh's words, Pant gave him some of his valuable jewellery and luxury items which the accused promised to sell at high rates. Eventually, he paid Pant with a cheque of Rs 1.6 crore, which later bounced due to insufficient funds in his account, as reported by ThePrint.
Mirnank Singh stayed at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi for nearly a week last year. During his stay in July 2022, he accumulated a bill of around Rs 5.6 lakh and claimed that his sponsor, Adidas, would cover the expenses. However, the provided bank account numbers and card details were found to be fake. Subsequently, a cheating case was filed against him, and despite assurances to settle the bill, he and his manager failed to do so. The accused's father informed the police that the family had disowned him. Additionally, a notice was dispatched to the accused's address, but he was not found there. He has been accused of defrauding multiple luxury hotels and resorts, as well as the Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant.
He also pretended to be Karnataka's Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) - Alok Kumar or even a brand ambassador for international brands at times to pull his con.
When he was finally detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by immigration officials while trying to fly to Hong Kong on Monday (25 December), he tried to “influence” immigration officials by claiming to be the son of Karnataka ADGP Alok Kumar and by “pretending to call senior police officers”, The Hindu reported citing Delhi Police’s, Ravikant Kumar.
Police Officials revealed that looking at his phone, it was almost confirmed that he might have cheated many others.
“His victims include hotels, bars, restaurants, young girls, cab drivers, and small eating outlets among others. Initial analysis of his mobile phone has also revealed his acquaintance with young female models, and it contains multiple videos and photographs, some of them highly objectionable,” a police source told ThePrint.
The Delhi Police arrested him after he was detained at the airport. During interrogation, he allegedly tried to mislead the cops by claiming his father, Ashok Kumar Singh, had played for the Indian cricket team in the 1980s and 1990s and is now working with Air India as a manager.
Additional DCP Kant said that Singh kept “changing his locations” and used only “social media apps for calls.” “He even made his acquaintances believe that he is not in India and is now settled in Dubai,” the senior police officer added.
This was not Singh’s first encounter with the police. He was arrested for allegedly cheating a Jalandhar-based businessman of Rs 5.75 lakh in August this year, but secured bail later, reported ThePrint.
The accused, a resident of Faridabad, is a Commerce graduate from Delhi University’s Hindu College. He completed an MBA in Human Resources from OPJS University in Rajasthan, according to the police.
Singh claimed that he played in the 2021 Ranji Trophy and the IPL from 2014 to 2018 with Mumbai Indians. The police say they are verifying all his claims.
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