NEW DELHI: Denying bail to an accused in a cyber fraud case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday termed cyber criminals “parasites” who cheat people of huge amounts and said society’s interest lies in keeping them in custody (behind bars) during the trial.
“You guys (cyber fraudsters) are parasites who dupe investors of crores of rupees. With cybercriminals we have to be very harsh. Your victims are always pan-Indians. You cheat someone in Tamil Nadu then you go to Jammu...Society’s interest is only that you should be inside jail”, said a partial-working day bench led by the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant while dismissing the plea.
The bench, also comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Sandeep Mehta, turned down the bail plea of the man arrested for allegedly cheating multiple victims through fake banking portals and phishing links. The alleged fraud in the case is over Rs 3 crore.
“These are parasites who misuse technology to loot ordinary citizens. Such crimes shake public confidence in digital transactions. Keeping them behind bars serves the larger societal interest,” the bench remarked.
The petitioner had moved the apex court seeking bail, citing long detention and the fact that co-accused had been granted bail by the High Court. On the other hand, the Delhi Police opposed the bail plea by calling him the “mastermind” of an interstate racket who evaded arrest for months.
The court observed that probe findings showed a network of mule bank accounts, SIM cards obtained on forged documents, and systematic laundering of funds.
“Economic offences like these are premeditated and cause deep harm to society. They stand on a different footing from other crimes,” the bench noted. While declining bail, the court said delay in trial cannot be a ground for release given the gravity of allegations. It asked the trial court to finish the case within a year.
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