Indian cricketer Shubman Gill, along with other Gujarat Titans players Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, and Mohit Sharma, is expected to be called by the Gujarat police for questioning about a Ponzi scam worth Rs 450 crore. The investigation started after Bhupendrasinh Zala, the person accused of running the scam, confessed during questioning.

Zala reportedly admitted to failing to return investments made by the cricketers, with Shubman Gill believed to have invested Rs 1.95 crore in the scheme. His involvement, along with that of other players, came to light during an ongoing investigation into the Rs 450 crore chit-fund scam.

How did Zala’s scheme operate?

Bhupendrasinh Zala, who ran the Ponzi scheme through his company BZ Financial Services, is said to have operated in several districts of Gujarat, such as Talod, Himmatnagar, and Vadodara. Zala used agents to get people to invest money, collecting a huge Rs 6,000 crore through ICICI and IFC banks. However, even though he collected a lot of money, Zala is accused of not keeping his promises to the people who invested.

The investigation by the CID has found that Zala bought assets worth Rs 100 crore, but he did not give the promised high returns to the people who invested. Seven people linked to the case have been arrested. Zala, who had been hiding from authorities for several weeks, was finally arrested on December 27 and is in custody until January 4.

Shubman Gill is currently with India’s Test team in Australia, but all the players involved are expected to be questioned by the CID in the next few weeks. The authorities have asked the cricketers to cooperate with the investigation as it continues.