Former India batter Robin Uthappa faces an arrest warrant for alleged fraud in connection with the provident fund (PF) contributions of employees at a clothing company which he oversees, NDTV reported on Saturday (December 21).

According to the report, Uthappa has until December 27 to settle dues amounting to nearly Rs 24 lakh and failure to comply will result in his arrest.

“Mr Uthappa is the director of Bengaluru-based Centaurus Lifestyle Brands Pvt Ltd. The company failed to remit the damages of about ₹ 23,36,602, which is to be recovered from the former Team India player,” Regional PF Commissioner Sadakshari Gopal Reddy said in the arrest warrant which was issued on December 4.

Uthappa is accused of deducting provident fund contributions from employees' salaries but failing to deposit these amounts into their respective accounts. This alleged fraud is a breach of trust under Section 405 of the Indian Penal Code.

“Due to non-remittance of dues, this office is unable to settle the Provident Fund (PF) accounts of poor workers,” the note issued to the Pulakeshinagar Station House Officer (SHO) read. “In view of the above, you are kindly requested to execute the enclosed warrant of arrest.”

Robin Uthappa is quite a well-known name in Indian cricket. He represented the country in 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is, and was part of the team that won the inaugural T20 World Cup title in 2007.

In the Indian Premier League, Uthappa turned up for various franchises, including Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Before retiring from Indian cricket in 2022, Uthappa won the IPL title with CSK in 2021. Back in 2014, he also lifted the IPL trophy while being associated with KKR.