A complaint has been registered against former Indian cricket team captain Mohammed Azharuddin in Aurangabad, Maharashtra for allegedly duping a travel agent off Rs 21 lakh.
According to the reports, the complaint was made by Shahab Y Mohammed, a former executive of Jet Airways, and the owner of Danish Tours & Travel.
Aurangabad: FIR registered against three people including former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin (file pic) for allegedly duping a travel agent, Mohammad Shadab, of more than Rs 20 lakh. Investigation underway. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/u4O2dB7sdh
— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2020
AD Nagre, the Investigating Officer of the City Chowk police in Aurangabad said that the first information report mentioned two others, Mujeeb Khan from Aurangabad and one Sudheesh Avikkal from Kerala as suspects and that no arrests have been made yet.
According to FIR, several tickers were booked by Avikkal for himself and Azharuddin between November 9 and November 12, 2019, to travel to and from various international destinations such as Dubai, Paris, Turin, Amsterdam, Munich, Copenhagen, Manchester, Zagreb, on top airlines.
Though Avikkal did not have money, he insisted it was an emergency and he would pay the ticket charges to Mohammed. Mohammed relented only after Khan, who is the personal secretary to Azharuddin gave an assurance on Avikkal’s behalf.
The report noted that Avikkal promised a part-payment of 13,500 euro (or Rs 10,60,000), through his bank account with the Croatian National Bank and furnished an email dated November 12, 2019, to the travel company owner.
When Mohammed contacted the bank, they reportedly stated that no payment was made. He then tried contacting Azharuddin and Khan, but to no avail. However, Avikkal continued to promise payment when contacted on November 24. He even sent Mohammed a copy of the cheque made in favour of Danish Tours & Travels on WhatsApp, but no payments were actually received.
As per reports, even after the police complaint, Khan and the others have stated to the police numerous time that all dues will be cleared, but the travel agency has allegedly received no payments so far. Finally, the police were compelled to file an FIR based on Mohammad’s complaint.
As per reports, Azharuddin has stated that the FIR is baseless and he will take legal action against Mohammad for levelling those allegations.
Mohammed Azharuddin was banned for life from Cricket by BCCI in 2000 after he was named by disgraced South African Captain Hansie Cronje as the man who introduced Cronje to bookies. High Court quashed the ban in 2012 but BCCI never officially lifted the ban. However, they did allow him to contest the Hyderabad Cricket Association elections.
Azharuddin had contested the 2009 general elections on a Congress ticket from the Moradabad seat and had won. In the 2014 elections, he was the Congress candidate from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur seat but had lost. Named working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee in 2018, he was disappointed in the 2019 general elections as the party denied him tickets, from both Secunderabad and Hyderabad constituencies.
