The Madras High Court has granted bail to a woman arrested in connection with a Rs 66 lakh cheating case, ruling there is no evidence showing she received any financial benefit from the alleged fraud.
Justice K Rajasekar, in an order dated July 6, noted that the woman’s involvement appeared to be confined to introducing the complainant to a man who claimed he could resolve her family problems through spiritual rituals.
Details Of The Alleged Fraud
The case stems from a complaint filed by a woman who sought help for ongoing domestic issues. Acting on the petitioner’s advice, she contacted a self-proclaimed spiritual expert. The complainant alleged that she subsequently transferred Rs 66 lakh through bank transactions and handed over gold jewelry to the expert for conducting corrective rituals. She later approached the police after realizing she had been cheated, resulting in the petitioner’s arrest.
Arguments Presented In Court
Representing the accused woman, advocates R Anand and S Micheal Heldon Kumar argued that their client was innocent and had been falsely implicated. They pointed out that she had been in custody since June 7, 2026, and was willing to comply with any court-mandated conditions. The defense emphasized that despite being named as the primary accused, she did not benefit from any of the transactions between the complainant and the second accused.
State counsel N Balasubramanian opposed the bail petition, arguing that the investigation is still active and that neither the gold jewelry nor the money has been recovered. He also expressed concern that the petitioner might tamper with evidence or influence witnesses due to her recent arrest.
Court Observations And Bail Conditions
Upon reviewing the case diary, the High Court noted that the police had arrested and remanded the suspects without recording any of their statements. Given the lack of evidence showing the petitioner benefited from the transaction and the time she had already spent in jail, the court approved her release on bail.
The court ordered her release subject to executing a bond of Rs 15,000 with two sureties of an equal amount before the Judicial Magistrate in Valliyoor, Tirunelveli. Under the terms of her bail, the petitioner must appear before the jurisdictional court daily on working days for three weeks, and remain available for any future questioning.
Justice Rajasekar cautioned that any violation of these terms would result in legal action. The court further clarified that if she absconds, the police are authorized to register a new First Information Report under Section 269 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which addresses the failure of a bailed individual to appear before a court.
