Chandigarh. Punjab and Haryana High Court has given a big blow to Sahil Sharma, accused of allegedly cheating him of Rs 14.40 lakh on the pretext of sending him to Canada. Rejecting the anticipatory bail plea of the accused, the court said that considering the seriousness of the case and the status of investigation, his custodial interrogation is very necessary. Justice Alok Jain’s bench, while hearing the case, said that the allegations against the accused are serious and the investigating agency has to find out many important facts through interrogation. The court considered that it would not be appropriate to give relief like anticipatory bail to the accused at this stage. The accused was absconding for a year In the case, the accused Sahil Sharma is accused of taking Rs 14.40 lakh from a person by promising to send him to Canada. Based on the complaint, a case was registered in Karnal. Since then the accused was absconding. The accused had filed a petition for anticipatory bail in the High Court. He had sought relief from arrest from the court. However, the court also took seriously the aspect of his absconding and not cooperating in the investigation. Accused told about money dispute During the hearing, it was argued on behalf of the accused that this case is basically a dispute over money transactions, which has been given a criminal colour. The accused claimed that he was ready to refund the amount to the complainant, but due to some circumstances the payment got delayed. The accused party requested the court to grant him the benefit of anticipatory bail, so that he can cooperate in the investigation. Court considered inquiry necessary At the same time, the police and the complainant party opposed the anticipatory bail. He said that the accused was accused of serious fraud and was absconding for a long time. In such a situation, it will be difficult to complete the investigation without taking him into custody. After hearing all the parties, the High Court said that custodial interrogation is necessary considering the role of the accused in the case, the nature of the allegations and the need for investigation. The court clarified that there is no proper basis for granting anticipatory bail to the accused at this stage. After this the High Court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Sahil Sharma. Cases of fraud in the name of sending money abroad are increasing It is noteworthy that cases of fraud in the name of sending money abroad are continuously coming to light. In many cases, agents and fake immigration consultants take lakhs of rupees from people and deceive them into sending them abroad. Later neither the visa is granted nor the amount is refunded. According to law experts, in such cases, investigating agencies consider custodial interrogation necessary to collect documents, money transactions and other related information from the accused. This decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court is being considered important towards strengthening the investigation process in such cases and in-depth investigation of the role of the accused in serious economic crimes.
HC strict: Custodial interrogation of accused necessary
