Mrinank Singh had an infatuation with living a luxury lifestyle, he wanted to dine in expensive restaurants and stay in five-star hotels. The young cricketer had different plans to fulfil his desire to live a luxurious life. Mrinank posed as an IPL cricketer who was part of the Mumbai Indians team to cheat women, international brands dealing with sports accessories. He had a backup identity too, in case he ever got caught.

Cricketer to Conman

The 25-year-old, presently a conman and formerly a U-19 cricketer for Haryana, cheated multiple luxury hotels and resorts and even India’s wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant. The conman operated in a particular way to cheat brands, and people. 

He posed as an IPL cricketer who played for the Mumbai Indians from 2014 to 2018. He used this claim to create an impression that he was “popular”. It helped him influence women, dine in expensive restaurants and stay in five-star hotels without paying bills.

In 2022, the conman stayed at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi for a week. He left the luxury hotel without settling a bill of Rs 5.53 Lakh and told the staff that he was a cricketer and Adidas would be paying the amount. The hotel staff believed him and shared the bank details. He shared an ID of a transaction worth Rs 200,000 lakh, but it turned out to be fake, the police said. The hotel tried to contact him several times to pay the dues, but he gave false promises until he switched his phone off and the police were made aware of the incident.

The man knew that the police were after him, so he kept his phone off to not leave any trace of his whereabouts. He made his acquaintances believe that he was settled in Dubai. A lookout notice was issued against him and the man was detained at the immigration office of the Delhi airport while he was trying to escape to Hong Kong on December 25, almost a year after the incident.

The Backup Identity

The conman made another attempt to cheat people and this time the immigration officials, by using his backup identity as an IPS officer from Karnataka. He posed as Alok Kumar, Additional Director General of Karnataka Police, and called senior police officials to escape arrest and said “He needs help to assist his son Mrinank Singh who has been illegally detained at the Delhi airport,” the police said.

The police arrested him, though he tried to mislead the police and claimed that his father, Ashok Kumar Singh, played for the Indian Cricket Team in the late 80s and is currently working as a manager with Air India and is posted at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. 

Cheating Rishabh Pant

On several occasions, he posed as a cricketer or as a senior police officer from Karnataka. He cheated multiple people including, India’s star cricketer Rishabh Pant. The police found that he cheated Mr Pant of Rs 1.63 crore in 2020-2021. His other victims include cab drivers, young women, bars, restaurants, etc. The conman has over 40,000 followers on Instagram account, where he has shared several pictures of his “luxury lifestyle”. 

The police scanned his phone and found several objectionable photos of him with women and said there was incriminating material present on his phone, which included him being involved in purchasing drugs. The police said several cases have been registered against him in different states.

The police said he is a Commerce graduate from Delhi University’s Hindu College. He did an MBA in Human Resources from OPJS University in Rajasthan and his family has disowned him as “they have no control over him.” The accused has been sent to a two-day police custody and a probe is underway.

A Mumbai resident filed a complaint against Ranbir Kapoor and his family after a viral Christmas video didn’t sit well with them. The complaint, available online, alleges that the Kapoors intentionally offended Hindu sentiments by pouring liquor on a cake and setting it on fire, and invoking Hindu deities during a non-Hindu festival.

As of now, no formal FIR has been filed, although the complainant seeks action under sections 295(A), 298, 500, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The individual, represented by lawyers Ashish Rai and Pankaj Mishra, claims that the video depicts Ranbir pouring liquor on a cake while saying “Jai Mata Di,” which, according to Hindu practices, holds significance when invoking deities. The complaint suggests that the use of intoxicants during a celebration of a different faith, accompanied by the chant, caused offence and hurt religious sentiments.

The annual Kapoor family Christmas lunch became noteworthy as Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt introduced their daughter, Raha Kapoor, to the public on this occasion. 

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been named in an Enforcement Directorate chargesheet – for the first time – over the alleged purchase and sale of five acres of land in Haryana. Her husband, businessman Robert Vadra, is also named but neither of them have been listed as “accused”.

The chargesheet was filed against CC Thampi, an NRI businessman, and Sumit Chadha, a British national of Indian origin. The ED believes they helped fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari – who is accused of violating the Official Secrets Act, among other laws – hide the proceeds of his crimes.

The agency – often accused of acting against opposition leaders on orders from the centre – has referred to Ms Gandhi Vadra’s transactions with HL Pahwa, a Delhi-based real estate agent who sold her agricultural land in Faridabad in 2006 and, four years later, re-purchased the same tract.

In addition, ED sources told NDTV, a house was allegedly purchased in Ms Gandhi Vadra’s name, in Faridabad’s Amipur village, in April 2006 and sold back to Mr Pahwa at the same time as the land.

Mr Pahwa is the same agent from whom Mr Vadra allegedly bought 40.8 acres of land in Amipur between 2005 and 2006, and sold it all back to him in December 2010.

A similar deal was executed with Mr Thampi, who was arrested in January 2020. According to the ED, he bought 486 acres in the same village – from HL Pahwa – between 2005 and 2008

The ED had named Mr Vadra – who the agency claims has a “long and thick relationship”, and “… common and similar business interests…”, with Mr Thampi – in earlier chargesheets.

Political Reactions

Ms Gandhi Vadra has not reacted so far, but Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told reporters “names of several leaders are attached with ED right before Lok Sabha elections”.

The Aam Aadmi Party, a member of the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc, hit out at the ED for “continuously taking action against opposition leaders”. AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said, “The law is ‘guilty until proven innocent’ for opposition and ‘innocent until proven guilty’ for the country…”

Congress’ Big Changes Before 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was at the centre of a major organisational reshuffle in the Congress last week; she was replaced, by Avinash Pandey, as the General Secretary in-Charge of Uttar Pradesh, a politically significant state as the party preps for the Lok Sabha election due in less than four months.

READ | Priyanka Gandhi Out In Congress’ Major Reshuffle Ahead Of Polls

Ms Gandhi Vadra remains the Congress’ General Secretary but “without any assigned portfolio”, fuelling speculation she will finally make her electoral debut.

READ | Nitish Kumar, Priyanka Gandhi’s Names Proposed For This Big Challenge

Earlier this month sources told NDTV Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is on a (very) short list of political heavyweights – the others are Nitish Kumar and Arvind Kejriwal – who may be fielded against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in UP’s Varanasi, seen as a particularly impregnable BJP stronghold.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.