Cops to file FIR against Chhabria over plaint by Kapil Sharma

Mumbai Police are in the processof filing a case of misappropriation and cheating against cardesigner Dilip Chhabria over a complaint lodged against him bycomedian Kapil Sharma a few months back for allegedly dupinghim to the tune of Rs 5.30 crore, which he had paid formanufacturing a vanity bus, an official said.

Chhabria was arrested last week, after the CrimeIntelligence Unit (CIU) of Mumbai police unearthed a major DCAvanti car financing and forgery scam.

''Comedian Kapil Sharma on Thursday visited MumbaiPolice Commissioner's Office in South Mumbai and lodged hiscomplaint against Dilip Chhabria Designs Pvt Ltd,'' theofficial said.

Based on the complaint, the police are in the processof registering an offence of criminal misappropriation andcheating against Chhabria, he said.

After meeting senior officials at the CP office,Sharma went to the CIU to record his statement.

''As per the complaint, Sharma had paid Rs 5.30 croreto Chhabria's DC Designs Private Limited company between Marchand May 2017 for manufacturing a vanity bus, but there was notany progress in it,'' said Milind Bharambe, Joint Commissionerof Police (Crime).

After the GST regime came into effect in 2018, DCDesignsdemanded Rs 40 lakh more from Sharma, which thecomedian paid, he said, adding that even after making thepayment, the bus was not ready.

''In 2019, Sharma then approached the National CompanyLaw Tribunal (NCLT) and after a preliminary inquiry, thetribunal froze the bank accounts of DC Designs,'' he said.

After that, Chhabria again approached Sharma and toldhim that he would manufacture the vanity bus only if he paysRs 60 lakh more. However, Sharma refused to pay the amount,the official said.

DC Designs then sent a bill of about Rs 12-13 lakh toSharma for parking the vanity bus's chassis, engine and half-built vehicle in their premises, he said.

''Thereafter, Sharma approached the Economic OffencesWing (EOW) of Mumbai Police in September 2020 and registered acomplaint against DC Designs and preliminary enquiry in thecase was on,'' he said.

''The final decision about the complaint was takentoday and we are in the process of registering a separate caseof misappropriation and cheating against Chhabria,'' said thesenior police officer.

Meanwhile, before leaving the CP office premises,Kapil Sharma told reporters that he was there to record hisstatement in connection with his complaint.

''The person against whom I had filed a complainthas already been already arrested by the police in a differentcase,'' he said.

The CIU had unearthed the DC Avanti car financing andforgery scam. During the probe of the car financing racket, itwas revealed that loans averaging Rs 42 lakh per car wereavailed by DC Designs Pvt Ltd for DC Avanti cars manufacturedby it in the name of bogus customers.

As many as 120 DC Avanti cars have been sold inIndia and abroad, and at least 90 of them were allegedly usedfor obtaining loans fraudulently.