New Delhi: The co-founder of BharatPe, Ashneer Grover, and his wife, Madhuri Jain, have been summoned by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for questioning regarding an alleged fraud of Rs 81 crore at the fintech unicorn. The couple is required to appear at the EOW's Mandir Marg office on November 21.


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The summons comes in the wake of an incident where Grover claimed to have been stopped at Delhi airport on Thursday, preventing him and his wife from traveling to New York for a vacation. (Also Read: Turn Rs 233 Daily Into A Secure Future: This LIC's Policy Promises Rs 17 Lakh And Tax Benefits)


EOW officials confirmed the summons and mentioned that a lookout circular had been issued against the couple, leading to their interception. (Also Read: Anand Mahindra Shares Hilarious Video Of Man On Sky-High Tractor, Says Interesting But...)


In May, the EOW filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Ashneer Grover, Madhuri Jain, and their family members—Deepak Gupta, Suresh Jain, and Shwetank Jain—in connection with the alleged fraud amounting to Rs 81 crore.


BharatPe asserted that Grover and his family caused damages through various means, including illegitimate payments to bogus human resource consultants, inflated payments through vendors connected to the accused, sham transactions in input tax credit, penalty payments to GST authorities, illegal payments to travel agencies, forged invoices by Madhuri Jain, and destruction of evidence.


EOW sources disclosed that a status report was filed in court on November 7 regarding the ongoing investigation.


If convicted, the accused could face a sentence ranging from 10 years to life in prison. In December 2022, BharatPe also initiated a civil suit in the Delhi High Court against Ashneer Grover and his family, seeking damages of up to Rs 88.67 crore for alleged cheating and embezzlement of funds.