‘No drama… not a flight risk’: Ashneer Grover on being stopped at airport
BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover said on Friday that he is not a flight risk. His remark came after he was stopped by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) from flying out of the country.
Grover and his wife, Madhuri Jain, were stopped at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Earlier this week, a lookout circular (LoC) was issued by the EOW in relation to the BharatPe alleged fraud case.
“I found it strange as I have travelled 4 times internationally since FIR filed in May – never been a problem and I had not even been summoned once,” said Grover, who also appeared as investor in Shark Tank India season 1.
He said that a lookout notice was delivered to him only Friday morning. “I was scheduled to be in the US from November 16 to 23. During immigration, I was informed about the presence of an LoC,” he wrote in the X post.
“No drama. LOC hatane ka process hai (there is a process to remove LoC) – I am not a flight risk – easy to prove,” he said, adding that he will cooperate fully with the investigation.
Also read: Setback for Ashneer Grover, wife in Delhi HC in ₹81-crore BharatPe fraud case
Why were the Grover couple stopped at the airport?
Sindhu Pillai, joint commissioner of police (EOW), said that the couple was travelling to New York and were stopped before security check.
“They were asked to return to their Delhi residence and join the probe at the EoW office at Mandir Marg next week,” she said.
The EOW investigation reportedly exposed recruitment firms associated with Ashneer Grover using backdated invoices to divert funds.
In December 2022, BharatPe filed a criminal complaint accusing Grover and family of a ₹81.28 crore fraud, including ₹7.6 crore allegedly paid to HR consultants between 2018 and 2021.