Forget farmers, teachers, doctors, government officers or engineers. The multi-crore rupee fraud committed by Bhupendrasinh Zala of BZ Finance Group has taken in its net cricketers of the likes of Shubham Gill, Rahul Tewatia and Mohit Sharma.
More than a week after the scam of promising to double the investments came to light, Zala is still absconding and his offices and branches of the network in Gujarat continue to remain shut.
Sources said that during investigation, the CID (Crime) found the names of Gill, Tewatia and Sharma in the list of investors. They are believed to have invested anywhere between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore through legal channels.
While the investigation has intensified following the names of cricketers cropping up, the police is also scrutinising the name of actor Sonu Sood. He was seen attending one of the events organised by Zala. However, the investigators have so far not found any investment in Sood’s name.
The involvement of celebrities in Zala’s scheme has intensified the investigation.
Talking to a section of the media, CID (Crime) ADGP Rajkumar Pandian declined to comment on the names of the cricketers. However, senior police officers confirmed the involvement of five cricketers and said that they were indeed duped.
According to sources, Zala’s company, BZ Finance, attracted investments from over 14,000 individuals across the country, with promises of lucrative returns.
The amounts invested range from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore. Police officials believe that if BZ Finance fails to make payments in the next few days for November’s interest, more victims will likely come forward.
Reports suggest that Zala absconded with his passport before the CID raid, leading to speculation that he was tipped off.
Pandian is believed to have reprimanded officers over the alleged leak and launched a covert inquiry to determine how the information was compromised.
Despite escaping initial capture, an IPS officer involved in the investigation asserted that Zala is in India.
“We have requested details from various locations, including airports and are conducting searches in multiple places. His arrest is imminent,” the officer was quoted saying.
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