Actor Jibraan Khan alleges 35L embezzlement, files police complaint against cafe manager in Mumbai

Mumbai: Actor Jibraan Khan, son of late Bollywood star Firoz Khan, lodged a complaint with Bandra police on Wednesday against his employee for embezzling Rs35 lakh between April 2024 and March 2025 from Cafe Grounded in Bandra. The accused, Ajay Rawat, who served as the general manager for the past two years, has been charged with cheating and forgery, though authorities have yet to apprehend him.Khan became aware of the fraud on Sep 19, when the store manager, Pramod, informed him that funds were missing. "The matter is under investigation. The suspect will be arrested soon. Rawat stopped reporting to work almost a week ago, which raised suspicion and an audit was carried out. The store manager, Pramod, who alerted the actor that Rawat is not releasing funds. This prompted the actor to consult his CA and audit the accounts, revealing that in a year that the cafe earned Rs1.14 crore, the account books showed only Rs 80 lakhs," stated a police officer from the Bandra police station.An in-depth review of the accounts and bank records showed that Rawat failed to deposit Rs 35 lakh from the cafe's total earnings. Police are actively searching for Rawat. In the complaint, Khan mentioned, "Rawat has been working as the manager in this cafe since 2022. Customers who come every day pay in cash as well as online. The money that is deposited in cash is then deposited in the bank by the manager the next day. There is a need for supplies for the cafe on a daily basis. The manager releases funds to the store manager, who then pays the vendors."On Sep 19, Pramod did not receive payments for goods, raising suspicion. Rawat was on leave at the time, preventing immediate questioning. "On Sep 22, Khan decided to question Rawat but he did not report to work and later gave vague reply. The actor filed the complaint after the audit confirmed the fraud. We are verifying the transactions of the cafe and investigating the case," the officer added.