Court took cognisance of Abhishek Verma's cheating complaint

Metropolitan Magistrate Surya Malik Grover took up the complaint of Verma, who is facing several criminal cases including the Naval war room leak case, for recording of his pre-summoning evidence on July 21.

"Put up for pre-summoning of evidence on July 21," the magistrate said.

Verma, in his complaint, has alleged that his US-based business partner C Edmonds Allen, an American attorney, and Delhi-based Arjun Arora had duped him of Rs 55 crore, which was to be paid to him in lieu of his consultancy services to them.

"Accused persons (Allen and Arora) jointly in connivance approached the complainant (Verma) and dishonestly induced him to render consultancy services to them and have defrauded him to the tune of Rs 55 crores, to cause a wrongful loss...Hence, they have committed offence of fraud and criminal conspiracy," the complaint read.

Verma alleged that Allen and Arora also forged several e-mails and documents and sent them to the media for maligning his reputation.

"In order to pressurise the complainant to get the matter compromised and to malign his reputation, the accused forged some emails and documents and distributed them among various individuals and media.

"Allen, in connivance with Arora, knowingly distributed preposterous and defamatory e-mails wherein false and fabricated facts have been mentioned and forged excerpts, allegedly taken from the emails sent by the complainant, have been quoted," Verma in his complaint said.