Jagdish Singh Patani, a retired deputy superintendent of police and the father of actress Disha Patani was reportedly cheated out of Rs 25 lakh by a group of five people who assured him of securing a prestigious role in a government commission, according to local police on Friday.
On Friday evening, a first information report (FIR) was filed at the Bareilly Kotwali police station.
Kotwali police station in-charge DK Sharma said, "A case has been registered against Shivendra Pratap Singh, Diwakar Garg, Acharya Jayaprakash from Juna Akhara, Preeti Garg, and one unidentified person for cheating, criminal intimidation, and extortion." "Efforts are underway to arrest the accused and take strict action," Sharma added.
Jagdish Patani, a resident of the Civil Lines area in Bareilly, claimed that Shivendra Pratap Singh, someone he personally knew, introduced him to Diwakar Garg and Acharya Jayaprakash, as stated in the complaint.
The accused asserted that they had significant political connections and assured Patani that they could help him secure a role as chairman, vice-chairman, or a similarly esteemed position in a government commission.
After gaining Patani's confidence, the group reportedly took Rs 25 lakh from him—Rs 5 lakh in cash and Rs 20 lakh through transfers to three separate bank accounts. When no progress occurred over three months, the accused promised to return the money along with interest, according to the complaint.
However, when Patani demanded his money back, they began issuing threats and behaving aggressively, police said.
Patani further alleged that the conmen misled him by introducing an accomplice as an "officer on special duty" named Himanshu to reinforce their false claims of political connections.
Suspecting a larger fraud, he lodged a complaint with the police, leading to the registration of the FIR.
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