In a high-profile case, Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wings recently arrested Mumbai Indians' skipper & Team India's allrounder Hardik Pandya's step-brother Vaibhav Pandya. Vaibhav Pandya is accused of duping & cheating his step-brothers Hardik & Krunal Pandya of around Rs 4 crore in business. As per reports, Vaibhav Pandya allegedly diverted around Rs 4.3 crore from the partnership firm, causing a loss to Hardik Pandya and his brother Krunal. Notably, both Hardik and Krunal are currently busy in IPL. Now, the question arises who is Hardik Pandya's step-brother Vaibhav Pandya? Below is everything you need to know about Hardik Pandya's stepbrother-
Who is Vaibhav Pandya?
Vaibhav Pandya, 37, is an entrepreneur and the stepbrother of the Pandya brothers. Going by his Insta name, he calls himself Vaibhav Himanshu Pandya. Himanshu Pandya was the father of Krunal and Hardik. Hardik Pandya & Krunal Pandya's mother's name is Nalini Pandya. She married Himanshu on December 12, 1989. Notably, Himanshu Pandya died in January 2021.
Talking about Vaibhav Pandya's educational qualification, the 37-year-old entrepreneur did his schooling at New English School Mumbai. Thereafter, Vaibhav did his Bachelor in Commerce i.e. B.Com from IES High School, Bandra-East in 2006. Vaibhav Pandya has worked in multiple firms. In Vodafone Essar, Vaibhav Pandya was a Team Coach and a Quality Coach Analyst. Thereafter, he joined Idea and worked there as Territory Sales Manager - Enterprise Business Unit (Postpaid).
Pandya also worked at American Express as Head of middle Market Acquisition, Gujarat and Sales Manager. He is also the Co-Founder of Alupac Ventures Pvt Ltd. Going by Vaibhav's LinkedIn profile, he is the Director of Pandya Polymers LLP.
Notably, Vaibhav Pandya's role in Pandya Polymers LLP has what put him behind the bars. Below is Vaibhav Pandya's arrest details-
Accusations against Vaibhav Pandya
Vaibhav has been charged with cheating and forgery. As per the report, the three brothers (Hardik, Krunal and Vaibhav) set up a polymer business in 2021. The business terms were such that Hardik and Krunal infused 40 percent capital each while Vaibhav chipped in with 20 percent.
However, Vaibhav later set up another firm dealing in the same trade without informing the Pandya brothers, violating the terms. As a result, profits from the original partnership declined, leading to an estimated loss of Rs 3 to 4 crore. Additionally, it is alleged that Vaibhav secretly increased his profit share from 20% to 33.3%, further impacting the financial interests of Hardik and Krunal Pandya.