Actors Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone
Credit: PTI Photo
A man in Rajasthan has filed a fraud case against Hyundai Motors, the company's officials, and even Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.
50-year-old Kirti Singh has accused the company of deliberately selling him a technically defective car model. His complaint involved names of Shah Rukh and Deepika for promoting the model as brand ambassadors, which he said misled consumers.
Singh registered the case after police initially refused to file a complaint, India Today reported. On directions of the court, the police eventually filed the case under sections 420, 406 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code, along with sections 312, 318, 316, 61 and 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the report added.
In his complaint, Singh named Hyundai Motor India's top executives including its MD Anso Kim, COO Tarun Garg, along with Shah Rukh and Deepika.
Elaborating on his complaint, Singh said that he bought a Hyundai Alcazar 1.5 on June 14, 2022 for Rs 23,97,353 after getting assurance from the dealership that the car was defect-free and the company would take responsibility if any trouble arose. However, the car began showing technical defects in its acceleration soon after the purchase, he said.
He further said that the company representatives, when contacted, admitted it to be a unfixable manufacturing defect. "This defect has repeatedly put me and my family's lives at risk," Singh said in his petition.
The complainant said that the company deliberately concealed the defect and "the refusal to replace the car or refund the purchase amount with interest amounted to cheating and breach of trust." Singh also said that he had taken a loan of Rs 10,03,699 for the purchase, and has been paying installments for it, causing him mental and financial distress.
"Kirti Singh filed a complaint through court regarding a defective Alcazar purchased from a Sonipat dealership. He repeatedly complained about vibration and acceleration issues which the company did not resolve. He has named Hyundai officials and two film stars who promoted the brand. Further action will be taken based on the documents and statements provided," the publication quoted a cop as saying.