A longtime driver employed by actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar’s family has landed in legal trouble after being accused of defrauding them of nearly ₹12 lakh. The accused, Naresh Singh (35), worked for Akhtar’s mother, veteran screenwriter Honey Irani, and is alleged to have misused multiple credit cards issued in Farhan’s name.
According to Mumbai Police, Naresh carried out the fraud in collusion with Arun Singh (52), an employee at a petrol pump near Bandra Lake. Instead of using the credit cards to refuel vehicles, the duo swiped them at the pump without dispensing fuel. Arun would then hand over cash to Naresh, after keeping a commission of ₹1,000–₹1,500 per transaction.
The scam came to light on October 1, when Irani’s manager, Diya Bhatia (36), noticed inconsistencies while auditing fuel expenses. One alarming entry showed that a Maruti car with a 35-litre fuel tank had allegedly consumed 621 litres of diesel — raising immediate red flags. Further investigation revealed that purchases had been made using three different credit cards and even included oil for a vehicle the family had sold seven years earlier.
When initially questioned, Naresh claimed he had used only one card. However, during a subsequent meeting with Honey Irani, he admitted to the fraud. As per the police FIR, Naresh confessed to obtaining the credit cards in 2022 from Farhan Akhtar’s former driver, Santosh Kumar, and had since used them to conduct fraudulent transactions with the petrol pump employee.
The police have filed a case under Sections 318 (criminal breach of trust), 418 (cheating), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigations are ongoing to determine the full scope of the fraud.