Karnataka High Court has stayed the arrest warrant issued against former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa in the alleged EPF fraud case. Earlier on December 21, the PF Regional Commissioner Shadakshari Gopal Reddy issued the arrest warrant against him and directed the Pulakeshinagar police to take appropriate action. Uthappa, who managed a private firm called Centuries Lifestyle Brand Private Limited, was accused of deducting PF contributions from employees’ salaries but failing to deposit the amounts, leading to an alleged fraud of Rs 23 lakh.
In a letter dated December 4, Commissioner Reddy instructed the police to execute the warrant. However, the warrant was returned to the PF office as Uthappa is reportedly no longer residing at his previous address. The officials stated, "The warrant, issued on December 4, has been returned after Mr.
Uthappa was found not to be at the Pulakeshinagar residence." Thereafter, Uthappa addressed the recent controversy, clarifying his association with the companies involved—Strawberry Lenceria Pvt. Ltd, Centaurus Lifestyle Brands Pvt.
Ltd, and Berryz Fashion House—and firmly denied any executive role in their operations. Uthappa explained that he was appointed as a director of these companies during 2018-19 solely due to his financial contributions in the form of (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).
push({}); loans. However, his involvement remained limited, as his professional commitments left him without the time or expertise to eng.
