The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Monday refused pre-arrest bail to two brothers in connection with a multi crore scam in online ‘Jungle Safari’ bookings at the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.
A single bench of Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke, while rejecting the anticipatory bail pleas of Abhishek Thakur and Rohit Thakur, who are partners in a firm called Wild Connectivity Solutions (WCS), noted the scam involved a huge amount and that the duo was not cooperating with the probe.
“Considering the role of applicants in the crime having involved enormous and huge amount, siphoning of the amount and fabrication of digital data, and the investigation revealing the manner in which the forest department is duped and the government money is at stake, the role of the applicants is clearly exposed,” the court said.
As per the prosecution, the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve Conservation Foundation (the TATR) had in 2021 entered into an agreement with WCS for online bookings for the ‘Jungle Safari’ there.
However, in 2023, it came to light that WCS contravened the agreement’s terms and conditions and had not deposited money and had duped the forest department.
The probe revealed the accused had misappropriated funds of Rs 72 crore form the forest department.
In its order, the HC said not only is there an allegation of money being siphoned but also of fabrication of electronic records.
“The relief of anticipatory bail is aimed at safeguarding individual rights. It serves as a crucial tool to prevent misuse of power of arrest and protects innocent individuals from harassment,” the court said.
“While the right to liberty and presumption of innocence are vital, the court must also consider gravity of the offence, impact on society, and the need for a fair and free investigation,” it added.
