MS Dhoni files criminal case against ex-business partners for alleged fraud of Rs 16 crore
Ranchi, Jan 5: Former Team India captain MS Dhoni has filed a criminal case against two of his former business partners, claiming that they duped him of around Rs 16 crore by not honouring a contract to establish cricket academies, according to his lawyer.
The case has been filed in a lower court against two directors of Aarka Sports, a sports management company.
Dhoni's representative Dayanand Singh from Vidhi Associates, a law firm in Patna, said they have filed a criminal case on behalf of the cricketer in a competent court in Ranchi against Aarka Sports directors Mihir Diwakar and Soumya Biswas under Section 406 and 420 of IPC.
Singh explained that the accused had approached Dhoni in 2017 to establish cricket academies in India and abroad. Initially, it was agreed that the cricketer would receive the full franchise fee and that profits would be shared on a 70:30 basis between Dhoni and the partners, he said.
However, the partners began setting up academies without Dhoni's knowledge and did not make any payments. The authority letter provided to them was revoked on August 15, 2021, he added.
Despite this, they continued setting up cricket academies and sport complexes in Dhoni's name without sharing any amount or information with him, according to his lawyer.
Legal notices were served to them twice for violating the agreement norms. Singh claimed that they opened academies in eight to ten places and took money, causing losses of Rs 16 crore to Dhoni.
The criminal case was filed on October 27, 2023, before a first-class judicial magistrate in Ranchi. On Friday, Simant Lohani, the person authorized by Dhoni, recorded his statement before the magistrate, Singh added.
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ED cracks down on suspected interstate liquor racket, raids 9 sites in Arunachal
Itanagar (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has carried out coordinated searches at nine locations across Arunachal Pradesh in connection with a suspected large-scale interstate liquor smuggling and money laundering network, officials said on Monday.
The action, taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is part of an expanding probe that points to a syndicate exploiting tax differentials among states.
Officials said liquor designated for sale within Arunachal Pradesh was allegedly diverted and supplied illegally to markets in Assam and other states.
The searches, conducted earlier this week, spanned multiple towns such as Itanagar, Naharlagun, Seppa, Ziro, Daporijo, Namsai and Roing, targeting wholesale liquor businesses suspected of being linked to the network.
According to officials, the investigation stems from a series of FIRs registered by Assam Police over the illegal transportation of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh into Assam.
Inputs from the Assam Excise Department further strengthened the case. An Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was registered on October 17, 2024, and later widened through an addendum incorporating 173 additional FIRs.
Earlier searches conducted on February 4 last year, at premises linked to three alleged key operators, believed to be major liquor manufacturers, had revealed indications of a well-coordinated operation.
Investigators suspect that the network functioned through a chain of manufacturers, bonded warehouses and wholesalers, while masking real ownership using proxy arrangements such as tribal partnerships and dummy licence holders.
During the latest ED operations, the agency found that several wholesale units were operating under proxy licences issued in the names of local individuals, while actual control remained with the suspected masterminds.
Financial scrutiny revealed that between 51 and 90 per cent of total credits in certain bank accounts comprised unexplained cash deposits.
Investigators also flagged a pattern of invoice splitting, with transactions deliberately kept below Rs 2 lakh to avoid scrutiny. In one instance, more than 200 invoices of identical value of Rs 1,99,554 were generated within a single month at one location.
On-ground staff reportedly confirmed that records, including stock registers and daily cash collections, were being routed to offices associated with the alleged controllers.
The ED said it seized approximately Rs 40 lakh in unaccounted cash during the searches.
In a significant finding, 14 seals, some purportedly belonging to the Excise Department of the Arunachal Pradesh government, were recovered from one of the premises. These are suspected to have been used to create fake transport permits to facilitate the unauthorised movement of liquor.
Further investigation is underway, officials added.
