Trust is often the foundation of long working relationships within families and when it is broken, the betrayal feels heavier than the loss itself. Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar’s household has recently been jolted by such a betrayal after their longtime driver was accused of swindling the family of nearly Rs 12 lakh through a fraudulent scheme.
The driver, employed by Farhan’s mother and noted screenwriter Honey Irani, had been with the family for years and was believed to be trustworthy. But suspicions arose when Honey Irani’s manager Diya Bhatia noticed unusual fuel expenses while going through records. What stood out most was an entry showing that a Maruti car, with a fuel capacity of just 35 litres, had allegedly consumed more than 600 litres of diesel. The implausible numbers prompted her to look deeper into the transactions.
As her scrutiny widened, Diya Bhatia uncovered that not one but three credit cards registered in Farhan Akhtar’s name had been misused. These cards were originally meant for legitimate household expenses such as fueling cars. Instead, they were repeatedly swiped at a petrol pump in Bandra without fuel ever being dispensed. The cash was pocketed by the driver, later identified as Naresh Singh, in collusion with Arun Singh, a pump employee. Each fraudulent swipe would end with Arun giving Naresh cash, minus a cut of around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per transaction.
The discrepancies did not end there. Records also showed oil purchases for a car the family had sold seven years ago, further confirming foul play. When questioned, Naresh Singh initially offered vague answers, claiming he had used only one card. But the evidence told a different story. Eventually, in a meeting arranged with Honey Irani, he admitted to the fraud.
According to the police, Naresh Singh confessed that he had obtained the cards in 2022 from Akhtar’s former driver Santosh Kumar and had since been carrying out the scheme in partnership with Arun Singh. The deception, which had gone unnoticed for months, had left the Akhtar family with inflated bills and a sense of betrayal.
The police have now registered a case under sections dealing with criminal breach of trust and cheating. Both Naresh Singh and Arun Singh face serious charges and investigations are underway.
For the Akhtar family, the incident serves as a harsh reminder of how trust, once broken, is hard to rebuild.
