Shadakshara Gopal Reddy, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-II and Recovery Officer, KR Puram, Bengaluru, issued an arrest notice on former India batter Robin Uthappa. The former Indian cricket player has been accused of Provident Fund (PF) fraud.
Uthappa, who oversaw Centuries Lifestyle Brand Private Limited, a private company, is charged of taking PF contributions out of workers’ pay cheques without putting the money into their accounts. The alleged deception is worth a whopping INR 23.36 lakh.
In a letter dated December 4, Commissioner Reddy instructed the police to act in accordance with the cricketer’s released arrest warrant, according to India.com. However, since Uthappa is thought to have moved, the warrant was given back to the PF office. In order to find the cricket player and guarantee legal compliance, authorities are currently conducting additional investigations. The order states that if Uthappa pays the outstanding balance, the warrant would be nullified.
Robin Uthappa and Team India won the first T20 World Cup.
The Indian team that won the T20 World Cup in its first year in 2007 included Robin Uthappa. Between April 2006 and July 2015, he participated in 46 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 13 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for the Men in Blue, scoring 934 and 249 runs in each format.
During his career, the 39-year-old also put up a few standout performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL). When the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders won their second IPL championship in 2014, it was his most memorable season. Uthappa earned the Orange Cap and was the season’s top run scorer.
In September 2022, the right-handed hitter declared his retirement from all cricket-related activities. Since then, he has been doing commentary work and occasionally taking the pitch to participate in franchise-based cricket competitions. In the recent Hong Kong Sixes event, he captained the Indian squad.