Mohali police book Oyo founder on complaint of Chandigarh businessman

Tribune News Service

Mohali, September 14

The founder and CEO of Oyo Hotels and Homes Pvt Ltd (OHHPL) is in the dock as the Mohali police have registered a case of “fraud and criminal conspiracy” on the complaint of a Chandigarh businessman.

The FIR has been registered against founder Oyo Hotels, Ritesh Aggarwal, and Sandeep Lodha CEO of OHHPL’s brand Weddingz.in, on the complaint of Vikas Gupta.

The victim in his complaint to the SSP had alleged that the company’s top management abruptly wriggled out of a business agreement illegally and with criminal intent. The SSP marked the complaint to SP (Rural), Mohali, who after conducting a thorough investigation recommended registration of FIR against the accused.

Vikas Gupta said an agreement was signed between his company Vikas Mineral Foods Pvt Limited under which he also operates Banquet Hall Casavillaz at Ramgarh-Mubarakpur road, Dera Bassi, Mohali and Oravel Stays Pvt Ltd (OSPL). He said in June 2019 he came in contact with Virender Pal Bhasin, head of OHHPL in Chandigarh, who showed interest in his banquet hall. He said an agreement was signed according to which the Weddingz.in team will handle the business and in return pay them a fixed amount every month.

Gupta stated that at the time of signing agreement all the required documents and NOCs asked by OHHPL to run his banquet hall were submitted and the top management, including the finance and legal teams of Oyo, were satisfied. Everything was running smoothly until the coronavirus outbreak restrictions were imposed on gathering in marriages and events, he added.

He alleged, “Fearing losses, OHHPL hatched a premeditated conspiracy, and against terms of the signed agreement, sent him a notice on March 16 this year to again submit NOCs and other documents. They gave me just 15 days to comply whereas according to the agreement 30 +30 days is the notice time to be given in case any party wants to break the agreement if any breach happens and that is not resolved in the given time by them.”

He alleged that another notice was sent to him that slapped over Rs 5 crore (approximately) penalty on him as part of a criminal conspiracy to make huge and easy money through pressure tactics. He claimed both the notices sent to him were mostly unsigned so these had no legal sanctity.

“Interestingly, VMFL was served a forged termination notice on April 22, 2020 under conspiracy in which a mention of a letter/ or notice dated March 30 was made, but no such letter or notice was ever received which revealed their deliberate conspiracy,” Vikas alleged.

He further alleged that despite terminating the agreement in a one-sided way and in a manner which smacks of “criminal intent”, his marriage palace’s name is still being used and innocent people are being cheated of money by booking functions and there is proof that weddings have been booked till December 2020 and he was being made a scapegoat.

SP (Rural) Ravjot Kaur Grewal confirmed that an FIR has been registered in the case, but no arrests have been made so far. She said they would soon arrest the accused in the case.