Stepbrother of Cricket Stars Hardik and Krunal Pandya Arrested for Fraud and Threats

Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested Vaibhav Pandya, the stepbrother of renowned cricketers Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya, on charges of defrauding and threatening to damage the reputations of the siblings. Arrested on April 8, Vaibhav was remanded in police custody until April 16 after being produced in court last Friday. The EOW investigation revealed that Vaibhav threatened the Pandya brothers with morphed photos and videos following a confrontation regarding financial irregularities in their joint business venture.

The Pandya brothers and Vaibhav had established a polymer business in 2021, with Vaibhav responsible for the day-to-day operations. According to EOW officials, he breached the partnership agreement by secretly setting up his own firm and diverting funds from the joint venture, causing significant losses to the brothers’ profits. The EOW also found that Vaibhav unilaterally increased his share in the partnership, reportedly forging the brothers’ signatures on the firm’s documents to do so.

The ongoing investigation has led to the seizure of Vaibhav’s electronic devices, which are currently under forensic examination to recover the alleged morphed content. The EOW is also scrutinizing claims by Vaibhav that the discrepancies in the partnership agreement were merely clerical errors made by an accounting firm. The case continues to develop as the authorities probe deeper into the financial manipulations and the threats made by Vaibhav Pandya.

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