Former cricketer, who cheated Rishabh Pant and others, arrested in Delhi
In 2022, he stayed at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi for a week but left without paying a bill of Rs 5.53 lakh, saying Adidas would settle the amount.
A former cricketer who turned into a successful conman and led an extravagant lifestyle even as he cheated numerous victims of crores of rupees has finally landed in the police net.
Delhi Police say the 25-year-old Mrinank Singh’s luck ran out when the immigration staff at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi detained him while trying to fly to Hong Kong on December 25.
A former Under-19 cricketer of Haryana, the Delhi University graduate pretended to be a player for the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians – a claim that led him to an extravagant lifestyle.
He would dine in expensive restaurants and stay in resorts without paying, befriended modes and at times travelled abroad with girlfriends. He also cheated international brands dealing with sports accessories.
His most high-profile victim was India’s cricketer Rishabh Pant, whom he duped of Rs 1.63 crore in 2020-21. He made Rishabh believe that he dealt in luxury items and could buy them for him at a reasonable price.
In 2022, he stayed at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi for a week but left without paying a bill of Rs 5.53 lakh, saying Adidas would settle the amount. The hotel staff fell for his words.
Instagram followers
Mrinank Singh made many believed that he lived in Dubai and even had an Instagram account in which he posted pictures of his luxurious lifestyle. He had amassed more than 40,000 followers.
Knowing that the police were after him, he kept changing his place of residence and often kept his mobile telephone switched off.
The authorities eventually issued a lookout notice against him, leading to his detention at the Delhi airport.
Even in those bleak moments, he posed as an additional director general of police Karnataka – his backup identity – and telephoned an official to say that his son Mrinank Singh had been illegally detained and needed help.
His other victims include taxi drivers and young women, a police officer said.
The police said they found on his telephone several “objectionable photos” of him with women and incriminating material which showed he was involved in purchasing drugs.
The police said several cases have been registered against him in different states. His family, an officer said, had disowned him saying they had no control over the wayward son.