Mumbai: Chef Kelvin Cheung booked for duping Bastian co-owner of $200K

Mumbai police booked a popular Canada-born chef for cheating a Bandra-based known seafood restaurant’s co-owner to the tune of USD 200,000. No arrest has been made yet.

According to police sources, Khar police on Friday registered a first information report (FIR) against chef Kelvin Cheung and his father Chi Ping Cheung under sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code based on the complaint of Ranjit Bindra, a resident of Pali Hill in Bandra and co-owner of Bastian.

As per the police complaint, Cheung had been working at Bindra’s office for a long time as chef. “While working in the Bandra restaurant, Cheung offered Bindra to invest in his plans to invest in popular restaurant franchises in Chicago and Los Angeles with the help of his father. In 2015, the complainant had invested USD 200,000 in multiple transactions,” said Gajanan Kabdule, senior inspector of Khar police station.

Police sources said that the money was transferred through a hospitality firm.

Cheung suddenly quit his association with the restaurant last year by saying that his father passed away. Since then, the complainant’s discussion with Cheung regarding the investments abroad did not go well. Later, Cheung also allegedly started ignoring Bindra. Bindra followed up the matter, but in vain, a police officer said.

“Recently, Bindra learnt that Cheung has returned to India. He hoped to get his money back, and hence approached police and registered a complaint,” said Kabdule.

The police are verifying all the allegations and are investigating the case, he said.

Cheung said, “I have not received any details about the case from Bastian or the police, so I can’t comment on the same. I can state that I wasn’t part of any deal with Bastian regarding their investment deal. I haven’t signed any contracts with them and I haven’t received any payments from them as alleged by them.”