Farhan Akhtar’s Family Driver Booked For Misusing Credit Cards, Duping Actor Of Rs 12 Lakh

A trusted family driver of actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar’s household has landed in trouble after being accused of cheating the family of nearly Rs 12 lakh. The driver, who worked for Akhtar’s mother and noted screenwriter Honey Irani, allegedly misused multiple credit cards registered in the actor’s name.

According to police, the driver did not act alone. He is believed to have carried out the fraud in collusion with a petrol pump employee in Bandra. Instead of using the cards for fuel as intended, the accused repeatedly swiped them at the petrol pump and pocketed cash, leaving the family with inflated expenses and bogus entries.

The case came to light on October 1, when Irani’s manager, Diya Bhatia (36), noticed discrepancies while reviewing

fuel expenses. According to the police complaint, a Maruti vehicle with a 35-litre diesel tank was recorded as having received 621 litres. The inflated numbers raised suspicions, prompting Bhatia to investigate further.

Police identified the accused as Naresh Singh (35), Irani’s driver, and Arun Singh (52), an employee at a petrol pump near Bandra Lake. Investigations revealed that Naresh repeatedly swiped credit cards registered under Farhan Akhtar’s name at the pump, without actually filling fuel. Arun would then hand him cash after deducting a share of around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,500 per transaction.

When questioned about the fuel records, Naresh allegedly gave evasive responses, claiming he only used one card. However, Bhatia’s scrutiny of card histories showed three different cards had been used. She also discovered that vehicle oil had been purchased for a car that the family had sold seven years earlier.

Bhatia later arranged a meeting with Irani, during which Naresh admitted to the fraud. According to the FIR, he disclosed that he had obtained the cards in 2022 from Akhtar’s former driver, Santosh Kumar, and had since been carrying out the fraudulent transactions in collusion with the petrol pump employee.

Police have filed a case against the two men under Sections 318 (criminal breach of trust), 418 (cheating), and 3(5) (general provisions) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.