Indian cricketer Deepti Sharma accuses teammate Arushi Goel of Rs 25 lakh fraud, theft

An FIR has been lodged against Goel & her parents at Sadar Police Station in Agra based on complaint by Sharma's brother. The 2 cricketers have played together in the domestic circuit.

File photo of India's Deepti Sharma in action during a T20I match against Australia | ANI

Agra: Indian women’s cricket team player and Uttar Pradesh Police officer Deepti Sharma has accused fellow cricketer Arushi Goel of allegedly cheating her of Rs 25 lakh, and breaking into her flat and stealing cash, jewellery and foreign currency.

Arushi, a member of the North Central Railway cricket team who is posted as a junior clerk at Agra Cantt Railway Station, is an old friend of Deepti.

According to police, Arushi, along with her parents—mother Manju and father Thanchand—exploited this friendship to transfer Rs 25 lakh to their accounts under various pretexts.

Police filed an FIR following a complaint by Deepti’s brother Sumit at Agra’s Sadar police station on Thursday.

Inspector Vijay Vikram Singh told ThePrint that a case had been registered against Arushi and her parents for theft and financial fraud. “An investigation is underway based on CCTV footage and other evidence. Strict action will be taken against the culprits,” he said.

According to the complaint, when Deepti demanded her money back, the accused first made excuses and then started misbehaving with her. She then barred Goyal from coming to her flat, where Arushi had earlier lived as a housemate.

However, Arushi entered the house secretly on 22 April and CCTV footage showed her opening the door and leaving with about $2,500, gold jewellery and cash.

On 23 April, Arushi claimed that her belongings were still in the flat, but when Deepti’s brother reached there, the key wouldn’t work. It was found that the lock had been changed.

“I treated Arushi like my sister. With the support of her family, she has cheated me. There is evidence against her and I have full faith in the law,” Deepti told the media. She added that she didn’t want to talk to the accused anymore and considered legal action the only option.

Arushi denied the allegations. “I have family relations with Deepti. If there has been any transaction, it must have been done with mutual consent,” she told the media. “I want to talk to Deepti face-to-face on all the allegations. My image is being maligned in the media.”

The cricketer said she would challenge the case in court and prove her innocence.

(Edited by Sugita Katyal)