Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa, a member of the team that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, is facing legal trouble after an arrest warrant was issued in connection with an alleged Employees’ Provident Fund (PF) fraud case.
According to media reports, Uthappa is accused of deducting Rs2.3 million from employee salaries while managing a company, but failing to deposit the amount into the relevant EPF accounts.
The complaint, filed with the police, claims that the non-payment of these contributions has caused disruptions in the affected employees’ PF accounts. Karnataka Police have been instructed to arrest Uthappa by December 27.
The arrest warrant was reportedly issued on December 4, but Uthappa was not present at his residence in Palkeshi Nagar, Karnataka. Sources indicate that Uthappa and his family are currently residing in Dubai.
Uthappa, a right-handed opening batsman, represented India in 46 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 13 T20 Internationals (T20Is).
He was a key player in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team and has also participated in the Indian Premier League (IPL).