Mumbai Police have registered a case of fraud worth Rs 12 lakh against Naresh Singh (35), the driver of film actor Farhan Akhtar’s mother, Honey Irani, and Arun Singh (52), an employee at a petrol station near Bandra Lake. The allegations involve misuse of fuel cards issued in Farhan Akhtar’s name to siphon off money instead of purchasing fuel.
Discovery of the scam
The fraud came to light when Honey Irani’s manager, Diya Bhatia (36), noticed irregularities in the fuel usage records. A vehicle with a fuel tank of 35 litres was showing refills of 62 litres, and records indicated fuel purchases for a car that had been sold seven years earlier. On questioning, Naresh Singh failed to provide satisfactory answers and admitted to using the card for fuel fills. Further investigation revealed he had used three separate fuel cards issued in Akhtar’s name.
Modus operandi
Police investigations found that Singh had obtained the cards from Farhan Akhtar’s former driver in 2022. He would swipe the cards at the SV Road petrol station near Bandra Lake without actually filling fuel. The station employee, Arun Singh, would then hand over cash, between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 per swipe, from which Naresh kept a share.
Admission and charges
Naresh Singh eventually confessed to the manipulation. His scheme involved logging inflated fuel quantities and charging for non-existent fills, enabling both parties to pocket cash. This included bogus transactions for vehicles no longer owned by Honey Irani’s family.
Mumbai Police have registered the case under sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), 318(4), and 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
