Economic Offences Wing files FIR in TreeHouse cheating case

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) will soon start scrutinising documents related to the TreeHouse Education and Accessories Ltd cheating case and will record statements of TreeHouse officials connected with the case.

"After we received a written complaint from EOW with regards to the TreeHouse cheating case, we conducted a preliminary inquiry. Soon after, an FIR was registered. We will verify the documents and hearsay of the persons involved," said Deputy Commissioner of Police, EOW, Sandeep Karnik.

According to EOW, an FIR has been registered against Rajesh Bhatia, Promoter and Managing Director of TreeHouse, accusing him of cheating to the tune of Rs 5.90 crore. The Director of Vincent Trading Pvt Ltd, Pranay Dhelia, 34, had filed a complaint against Bhatia, accusing him and others of cheating and criminal breach of trust by falsifying accounts and fabricating financial statement results.

TreeHouse, which operates 650 primary and 24 high schools across the country, was embroiled in a controversy in the first week of December in 2016.

As a result, most of its centres stopped conducting classes due to non-payment of dues to teachers and landlords. In January 2017, teachers resumed classes at the centres, which were re-opened as franchise models. Bhatia did not respond to multiple calls and messages.