Mumbai, Sep 16 A Mumbai court on Wednesday refused bail to a 23-year-old man, arrested in a credit card fraud case of Rs 47.78 lakh, saying there was ample evidence against him.
Considering the nature and gravity of offence and the evidence collected against the applicant, Izhar Ansari, he was not entitled to bail, Additional Sessions Judge P B Ghuge said while rejecting his plea for relief.
According to the prosecution, a complaint was lodged by Najeeb Hamja Kadar, the fraud victim and director of Liberty Oil Mills Ltd.
The victim received a fraudulent phone call on April 11 regarding a credit card, following which scammers illicitly accessed his account by altering linked credentials such as his mobile number and email ID, the prosecution said.
Unauthorized transactions amounting to Rs 47,78,035 were subsequently carried out from the businessman's account using an online delivery platform, it said.
During the investigation, police found that two costly mobile handsets purchased using the victim's compromised credit card were routed through co-accused Faizan Shaikh, with sale proceeds allegedly transferred directly to (bail applicant) Ansari's bank account.
Ansari, through his lawyer, argued that he was merely an employee of Shaikh, and had been falsely implicated in the criminal case.
The defence, while pleading for bail, submitted that the investigation was over and a chargesheet had already been filed in the court.
Police, represented by Additional Public Prosecutor Ramesh Siroya, opposed the bail plea, saying this case was of a systematic cyber fraud, causing huge economical loss to the informant (victim).
The applicant is part of a wider cyber syndicate operating out of Jharkhand, other co-accused remain at large, and his release on bail could hamper ongoing probes and lead to tampering of evidence, submitted the prosecution.
After hearing both sides, the court noted that there was ample prima facie evidence establishing the applicant's role as a beneficiary instrumental in supplying items purchased from crime proceeds.
"Having regard to the nature and gravity of offence and the evidence collected against the applicant, he (Ansari) is not entitled for grant of bail. Hence, the application deserves to be rejected," the court added.
