Mumbai: Will Ponzi scam mastermind use CM Devendra Fadnavis' face for a new con?

Zahir Rana left and CM Devendra Fadnavis unveil his latest scheme True Talent Sports Pvt LtdChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sure seems to be keeping strange company of late The CM set tongues wagging recently by tweeting pictures of him sharing the stage with Zahir Rana a notorious Ponzi scheme operator who duped people of hundreds of crores in a series of scams Fadnavis even unveiled the offer document of Ranas latest venture a cricket talent hunt programme which past victims of the fraudster said is likely yet another conOn Sunday citizens were shocked when Fadnavis tweeted several pictures of him unveiling Zahir Ranas new project at a BJP medical camp in Malwani Rana claims his latest offering is not a Ponzi scheme but a genuine proposal for the countrys first ever cricket talent hunt and reality show His past victims warn however that he might just be playing everybody including the CM Rana told midday I dont want to discuss my past I served jail time in one of the cases I wish to start a new life and have no intention to cheat anyoneBad strike rateRana has been accused of multicrore scams not once but thrice He even served five years in jail for his very first scam mdash Remo Marketing his multilevel marketing company Rana allegedly cost investors R800 crore after the Remo racket went bust in 2003 The scam came to light after a cheque issued by him bounced and he was surrounded by investors who wanted their money backGood initiative by BJP4India North Mumbai and RKHIV Research and care centre trust to pay tribute to our leader Pt Deendayal ji Upadhyaya by organising mega health camp this morning at Rathodi in Malad West Mumbai pictwittercomYkkOQKWvhMmdash Devendra Fadnavis Dev_Fadnavis February 11 2018Fadnavis tweeted pictures of him and Zahir Rana on SundayRana was put behind bars till 2008 but when he came out he floated yet another scheme mdash Dorado yet another multilevel marketing programme promising 15 to 20 per cent returns This time he held a press conference claiming that he had changed his ways and that Dorado was a genuine investment Yet again investors lost their money and many complained to the police By this time Rana had already spun his third scheme mdash selling land plots Predictably once again an investor complained that he had paid money but was never allotted any land He had allegedly duped investors of around R70 crore by this timeNew game planAfter a complaint was lodged at Navrangpura police station in Ahmedabad Rana went into hiding In May 2012 the police found and arrested him After a few days in jail he secured bail and moved to Mumbai Ever since then he has been plotting new ways to score money and fame eventually landing on his latest game plan mdash a cricketing reality talent hunt titled True Premier LeagueAlso read Mumbai Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis guest turns out to be a molesterThis is not a scheme it is a cricket talent hunt that I wanted to bring to television as a reality show My prime motto is to hunt for upcoming cricketers at the district and talukalevel across the state Eventually I want to create a dream team across the nation National and international players are also associated with us and they will help us to pick up the best cricketers We have not charged the cricketers any money it is free of charge so it cannot be called a scheme said RanaHe added True Premier League is Indias firstever cricket talent hunt and reality show Our aim is to unearth young cricketing talents across all major states in India We will offer a platform to aspiring cricketers and it will be telecast live on True Sports Channel During matches viewers can vote for their favourite players and the winners will be rewarded with prize money and awardsRs 870crApproximate amount he duped investors of3No of scams Rana has been accused of5No of years he was in jail for his first scam