Dilip Chhabria’s son arrested in cheating case lodged by Kapil Sharma

In the cheating case, comedian Kapil Sharma claimed that he had paid ₹5.3 crore to Dilip Chhabria Designs Private Limited for designing a vanity van for him. The firm, however, did not deliver the van.

The criminal intelligence unit (CIU) of the Mumbai crime branch has arrested car designer Dilip Chhabria’s son Bonito in connection with the cheating case registered by comedian Kapil Sharma in January this year.

In the cheating case, Kapil Sharma said that he had approached Dilip Chhabria to design a vanity van in 2017 and paid ₹5.30 crore to him between May 2017 and May 2018. (HT File)

Sharma claimed that he had paid ₹5.3 crore to Dilip Chhabria Designs Private Limited for designing a vanity van for him. The firm, however, did not deliver the van.

A senior crime branch officer said, “Bonito was arrested around 10:45pm on Friday from MIDC area in Andheri (East).”

“We have registered a first information report (FIR) against Dilip Chhabria, his son Bonito and others in January after Sharma alleged that Chhabria had allegedly cheated him of V5.3 crore,” said the officer. The CIU will produce Bonito in a metropolitan magistrate court on Saturday.

In his statement, recorded by CIU, on January 7 Sharma said that he had approached Chhabria to design a vanity van in 2017 and paid ₹5.30 crore to him between May 2017 and May 2018, but when he found that there was no progress on his order, he approached Chhabria in July 2018 again.

Chhabria allegedly demanded ₹40 lakh more towards GST (goods and service tax) and Sharma had paid the said amount in July 2018. However, after a few months, there was still no progress. Sharma then asked refund of his money. Chhabria then promised to deliver the van but asked for an additional sum of ₹60 lakh. Sharma then approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in 2019, following which, NCLT froze Chhabria’s account, said a police officer.

Chhabria sent Sharma a bill of around ₹12 lakh for parking the vehicle and keeping spare parts in the factory premises. After receiving the bill, Sharma approached Mumbai Police’s economic offences wing (EOW) and lodged a complaint.

Sharma also approached CIU. His statement was recorded and an FIR was registered under section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code against Dilip Chhabria, his son Bonito and others.