Mumbai: Fresh case against Dilip Chhabria based on comedian Kapil Sharma's plaint

Comedian Kapil Sharma at the CP`s office near Crawford Market. Sharma had filed a complaint in September last year alleging that the car designer cheated him of Rs 5.70 crore. Pic/Suresh Karkera

The Crime Branch registered a fresh case against car designer Dilip Chhabria based on a complaint filed by comedian Kapil Sharma in September last year for duping him of Rs 5.70 crore. The case was registered after Sharma met Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh on Thursday.

Chhabria, who was arrested on December 29 in connection with a financial forgery and illegal registration racket, had been remanded in judicial custody. But now as a fresh case has been registered against him based on Sharma's complaint, the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Crime Branch would seek his custody in the same.

In a press conference on Thursday, Joint Commissioner of Crime Milind Bharambe said, "In September, Sharma had filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing alleging that even after paying R5.70 crore to Chhabria for a customised vanity van in 2017, it was not delivered to him. Chhabria had even demanded more money and parking charges from Sharma. Preliminary investigation has revealed that this is a case of cheating and misappropriation of funds." According to sources, Sharma met the CP at his office and reminded him of his complaint.

"Sharma had first met Chhabria in March 2017 and placed an order for the vanity van. He had also paid him R5.30 crore," Bharambe added. According to the Crime Branch, after VAT and GST came into effect in 2018, Chhabria again demanded R49 lakh, which the comedian paid. Still the vanity van was not delivered to him till 2019.

Bharambe said, "In 2019, after Sharma approached the National Company Law Tribunal, Chhabria's bank accounts were frozen. He approached Sharma again and told him to pay R60 lakh for the van to be delivered."

According to Sharma's complaint, last year Chhabria sent another invoice of R12 to R13 lakh as parking charges for the van. Thereafter, Sharma approached the EOW in September last year and filed a complaint.