Mihir Diwakar, a former business associate of Indian cricket legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of fraud, following a complaint filed by Dhoni himself. The case involves various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 406, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120B. The complaint was filed at the District Court Ranchi against Aarka Sports Management Pvt Ltd., where Diwakar served as a director alongside Soumya Das. Diwakar was apprehended by Jaipur police for allegedly using Dhoni’s name without authorization to establish a cricket academy in Jaipur.
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The arrest stems from accusations that Diwakar misrepresented his affiliation with Dhoni to open the academy, despite Dhoni revoking permission for the use of his name. This incident highlights the importance of safeguarding intellectual property rights and underscores the legal ramifications of exploiting a prominent individual’s name for personal gain. Despite Dhoni’s withdrawal of authorization on August 15, 2021, Diwakar allegedly continued operating cricket academies, both domestically and internationally, under Dhoni’s name. He purportedly collected franchise fees for academies such as the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy and MS Dhoni Sports Academy, resulting in an alleged fraud of over Rs 15 crores.
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Diwakar’s arrest, carried out in Jaipur with his apprehension from Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida), followed a previous FIR lodged against him in Jaipur’s Karni Vihar police station on charges of cheating. According to Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph, the case centers on fraudulent activities related to the establishment of a cricket academy in Dhoni’s name in Jaipur’s Gandhi Path area. The arrest underscores the severity of the allegations and Dhoni’s legal actions to address the purported fraud, emphasizing the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and the consequences of misusing a prominent individual’s name for personal gain.
