Overview

• An FIR was registered on September 24 against manager Ajay Singh Rawat, 31, on allegations of cheating tied to the cafe’s cash handling.
• Rawat, who has managed Grounded Cafe since 2022, was responsible for depositing daily cash earnings and allegedly failed to bank Rs 34.99 lakh.
• A chartered accountant’s audit for April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025 recorded business of Rs 1.14 crore with only Rs 79.67 lakh deposited in the bank.
• Vendor non-payment complaints prompted the store manager, Pramod, to alert owner Jibraan Khan on September 19 while Rawat was on leave; Rawat returned on September 22 and could not explain the gaps.
• Police say the investigation is ongoing and a search to locate Rawat is underway, with no arrests reported so far.