Gurugram: Former Haryana Congress MLA and ex-parliamentary secretary Sharda Rathore has allegedly been defrauded of Rs 10 lakh. A man named Brij Bhushan Sharma, who has been named as the accused in the FIR lodged by her in Faridabad, allegedly promised to arrange meetings with senior national leaders on her behalf and manage her social media activities.
When none of these promises materialised, Rathore demanded her money back. In response, Sharma issued cheques, which later bounced upon being presented at the bank. Rathore has now filed a formal complaint at Sector-17 police station in Faridabad.
ThePrint has accessed a copy of FIR number 82, registered Friday under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, for criminal breach of trust and cheating.
Rathore had sought a Congress ticket for the 2024 assembly elections. Upon being denied the ticket, she had filed her nomination as an independent candidate, after which the Congress party had expelled her for a period of six years.
According to her police complaint, Rathore met a man named Brij Bhushan Sharma in July 2024, who claimed proximity to several national leaders. He introduced his daughter, Kashish alias Megha, as an IAS officer, and claimed that his sons were acquainted with the children of senior political leaders, the FIR said.
Sharma invited Rathore to his residence for tea, where his wife Sweety and sons Akash and Akshay were also present, according to the complaint.
His family collectively assured Rathore that they would facilitate meetings with national leaders and manage her social media activities, Rathore claimed in the FIR. In return, he demanded Rs 10 lakh, which she allegedly paid.
It is alleged that after receiving the money, Sharma failed to arrange any meetings or carry out the promised social media work. When Rathore pressed for a refund, he allegedly issued her cheques of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, and additionally promised Rs 2 lakh in cash. However, the cheques bounced, and the cash was never handed over, the FIR said.
Rathore had earlier served as the MLA from Haryana’s Ballabhgarh constituency from 2005 to 2009 and 2009 to 2014. For the 2024 assembly polls, she had once again sought a ticket from Congress, but the party chose Parag Sharma instead. In protest, Rathore had declared she would contest as an independent.
Despite being expelled from the party, Rathore went ahead with her candidature and contested the election. She finished in second place, while Congress’s Parag Sharma secured the fourth position.
The FIR also contains a note by sub-inspector Naresh Kumar, the investigating officer in the matter, saying that on 10 April, a notice was sent via WhatsApp to the accused, Brij Bhushan Sharma, requiring his personal appearance.
“However, the accused Brij Bhushan Sharma did not appear. Instead, his son Akash Sharma came to the police station with their lawyer and informed that a legal notice regarding the bounced cheque has already been sent to them by the complainant’s lawyer. According to them, this is now a civil matter, not a criminal one,” the SI’s note said.
ThePrint attempted to contact Sharma on the mobile number listed in the FIR twice. However, the call was disconnected on both occasions.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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