Sharapova under Cheating case

New Delhi, November 22: International tennis star Maria Sharapova was booked on cheating charges by Indian police in regards to a luxury housing project.

The firm behind the development is alleged to have taken millions of dollars from homebuyers before the project folded. Piyush Singh, a lawyer representing one of the buyers, told AFP that police had filed initial charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy against Sharapova as part of a wider case against the firm Homestead Infrastructure Development.

"The tennis star has now been booked for cheating and criminal conspiracy by Delhi Police, following a local court's order. An aggrieved homebuyer had approached the court," said an Indian police official.

The 30-year-old tennis star travelled to India in 2013 to launch the luxury high-rise apartment complex -- named Ballet by Sharapova which prospective buyers were told would house a tennis academy, a clubhouse and a helipad.