Asian Games gold medal-winning sprinter Sarita Gayakwad has allegedly been cheated of Rs 69.10 lakh by a man who promised her high returns on investment in his sand business in Gujarat, police said on Monday. An FIR was registered against the man, Nitin Bharti, a resident of Vyara town in Tapi district, at the Ahwa police station in Dang district on October 29 based on a complaint filed by the athlete, said Inspector K B Sankhla of the Ahwa police station. Gayakwad (32) lives at Karadiamba village in Ahwa taluka of Dang district with her parents.
Based on the complaint by the athlete, we have registered an FIR against the accused, who is absconding. However, Bharti neither paid the promised monthly returns nor returned the principal amount after the agreed period, it stated. “Gayakwad was duped of Rs 69.10 lakh allegedly by Bharti, who offered her high returns on her investment. The athlete, who won a gold medal as part of Indian women’s 4×400-metre relay team at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, claimed Bharti persuaded her to invest in his sand business by promising a monthly return of 4 per cent on the amount invested, according to the complaint. Gayakwad was introduced to Bharti in 2024 through a mutual acquaintance, Jitubhai, the sarpanch of Gadhvi gram panchayat in Dang district, according to the FIR. He claimed to have invested Rs 3 crore to Rs 4 crore of his own money in the business and offered her a monthly return of 4 per cent on her investment, promising to repay the principal amount after one year, said the FIR.
Efforts were on to nab him,” Sankhla said. During their meeting, Bharti allegedly told her that he operated a large-scale sand business in Vyara, with vehicles transporting the building material to Mumbai. The athlete said she invested money in the scheme based on these assurances.
