India’s cricket star Shubman Gill, who was the skipper of the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024, will be called by the CID branch of Gujarat as part of the Rs 450 crore Ponzi scam with his teammates Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, and Mohit Sharma. This follows after the CID has interrogated Bhupendrasinh Zala, alleged mastermind of the Ponzi scam, where it is claimed he admitted in questioning that he failed to return the investments made by the cricketers.
Zala, who has been accused of masterminding the Rs 450 crore chit-fund scam, is popularly known as the “kingpin” of the Ponzi operation. He carried out the schemes through multiple offices in Gujarat including Talod, Himmatnagar, and Vadodara through agents collecting funds. It has been said that it collected Rs 6,000 crore through ICICI and IFC banks to the tune of Rs 175 crore.
Gill invested Rs 1.95 crore, while Tewatia, Sudharsan, and Sharma invested lesser amounts. Gill is currently in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and is likely to be called back after the series. Attempts to reach Mohit Sharma have been unsuccessful.
According to Deputy Inspector General of Police (CID-Crime), Parikshita Rathod, Zala promised high returns to investors through his company, BZ Financial Services. Zala had been on the run for nearly a month before being arrested on December 27 in Mehsana district. He is currently in custody until January 4.
Gujarat CID officials state that cooperation from the cricketers is paramount for the current probe while further developments are anticipated as the case unfolds.
