It’s always a shock when trust is broken, especially by someone close. Bollywood actor and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar’s mother, Honey Irani, recently faced this tough reality. She lost a staggering 12 lakh rupees to a fraud scheme. The surprising twist? The people behind it were her own driver and a petrol pump worker.
The story began to unfold when Honey Irani’s manager, Diya Bhatia, filed a complaint. On October 1st, she told the Bandra Police Station about some shady dealings. It turned out the family driver, Naresh Singh, had been misusing fuel cards for a long time. These cards were issued in Farhan Akhtar’s name to pay for car fuel. But Naresh had found a different use for them.
The red flags started waving when Irani’s team looked at the fuel bills. Some bills showed cars taking 62 liters of petrol. The problem? Those cars only had a 35-liter tank. Even more bizarre, bills appeared for vehicles the family had sold off seven years ago. Clearly, something was fishy.
When manager Diya Bhatia questioned Naresh, his answers just didn’t add up. This led to a deeper look into the expenses. It was then revealed that Naresh Singh had been misusing not one, but three different fuel cards. All of them were linked to Farhan Akhtar’s accounts.
Police investigations painted a clear picture of the scam. Naresh Singh would regularly visit a specific petrol pump near Bandra Lake on S.V. Road. There, an employee named Arun Singh was in on the scheme. Arun would swipe the fuel card, but instead of filling the tank, he’d hand Naresh cash. The two men would then split the money. Naresh admitted to police that he usually pocketed between 1,000 and 1,500 rupees per transaction. He also confessed that he got these cards from Farhan Akhtar’s former driver back in 2022. He had been running this scam ever since.
The Mumbai Police have taken the matter seriously. They’ve filed a case under sections 316(2), 318(4), and 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code. Both Naresh Singh, the driver, and Arun Singh, the petrol pump employee, are named as accused in this betrayal of trust.
As of now, Farhan Akhtar and his family have not released an official statement. However, whispers from close sources suggest that Farhan’s team is actively pursuing legal action. They are fully cooperating with the police investigation to bring the culprits to justice.