Court denies bail to man who ‘scammed’ people

New Delhi, September 2

A Delhi court has dismissed the bail plea of a man accused of cheating around Rs 157 crore from a number of people in various countries, including the US, through alleged fraud calls from call-centres located in India. The CBI has claimed the accused posed as officials from organisations such as Indian Revenue Services, USA immigration department and banking and financial institutions. These callers coerced the victims to pay fees, fines or taxes through various means and also compelled them to disclose their sensitive bank account details and credentials, the central probe agency claimed.

Special Judge Ashwani Kumar Sarpal denied the relief to accused Sanket Bhadresh Modi in an order passed on August 25, noting he did not join investigations on three dates despite receipt of notices and once made false excuse to avoid investigation. The accused was the director of a company, SM Technomine Pvt Ltd, which is also an accused in the case.

The judge further noted that the accused did not cooperate in investigation by not providing passwords for opening of emails, Bitcoin wallets, etc., and pressured and threatened his employees not to disclose anything to the CBI.

The judge further said there was a “great possibility” of tampering with evidence if the accused was released from custody.