Shikhar Dhawan alleges ex-employee for fraud and forgery amounting to INR 40 lakh

The CEO of a Gurgaon-based startup has been named in an FIR along with a former employee of Shikhar Dhawan for allegedly cheating the ex-India cricketer and illegally using his photos for endorsements during the Asia Cup 2025 earlier this year in Dubai. The case was registered following a complaint filed by a representative of Dhawan’s DaOne Group.

According to the complaint, the duo misrepresented themselves as Dhawan’s authorized agents and fraudulently renewed an expired endorsement deal with a brand for financial gain. The former employee, who now runs a company called Elevate Athletes Creators Ecosystem, is accused of exploiting his past association with Dhawan to mislead clients.

Dhawan, who attended the recently concluded Asia Cup, was reportedly shocked to find his photos and videos prominently displayed on stadium screens endorsing the brand, despite having no active contract with the company. Da One Group stated that it later learned the deal had been renewed for a year through an agreement signed on March 10, 2025, between Elevate Athletes and Parthtech Developers. Believing the documents to be genuine, Parthtech paid INR 40 lakh for the said extension, a sum that was allegedly pocketed entirely by the accused.

As per the complaint, Dhawan’s original agreement with Parthtech was valid from April 16, 2024, to April 15, 2025, and had been signed by the ex-employee during his tenure as chief executive of DaOne Group. His authority was limited by a board resolution and ceased when he left the company in September 2024, as well as when the contract expired in April 2025.

“After receiving the complaint, we have registered the FIR. the individuals concerned will be called to join the investigation and appropriate legal action will be taken against them,” a senior police official said as quoted by Times of India.

However, the ex-employee allegedly continued presenting himself publicly as Dhawan’s authorized representative. The complaint further accused the duo of producing a forged representation agreement dated December 20, 2024, to falsely claim that Elevate Athletes had exclusive rights to manage Dhawan’s endorsements.

“Since we all are from the same industry, it cannot happen that we endorsed him without informing him,” said the startup founder.

Da One Group also expressed concern that the accused may still possess forged documents capable of misleading clients and urged the police to recover them immediately. Based on the complaint, an FIR has been registered under sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), 318(4) (cheating), 336(3) (forgery), 338 (forgery of valuable documents), 340 (using forged documents as genuine), and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).