A 19-year-old student accused in a ₹3.7 crore cyber fraud case was denied bail by a special CBI court in Mumbai which held him guilty of having played an active role in facilitating the scam.
The Press Trust of India reported on Monday that Special CBI Judge BY Phad observed that Yash Thakur, a Class XII student from Nagpur,allegedly used his technical knowledge to facilitate the crime and his release could jeopardise the investigation. He had been arrested on July 9.
A transnational cyber racket
Judge Phad went on to state that the case "prima facie involves a transnational racket with a sophisticated modus operandi, including the use of foreign phone numbers and routing of crime proceeds through multiple mule accounts".
The court said the offence appeared to have been executed in a well-organised and systematic manner.
Thakur allegedly helped main accused
According to the CBI, Thakur had been arrested for allegedly assisting the main accused, Bhaskar Palande.
Palande is said to have defrauded individuals and firms of ₹3.76 crore through online scams such as digital arrests, customs fraud and other forms of financial deception.
Investigators said Palande opened a mule account through which the entire sum was transferred in a single day. Thakur allegedly procured a new SIM card for Palande, received part of the proceeds, and helped move the funds between accounts.
High-value cyber fraud with foreign links
The CBI described the case as a high-value cyber network fraud with transnational links. It said several accused were communicating through foreign phone numbers and routing the crime proceeds to accounts abroad.
Thakur, in his bail plea, claimed innocence and said he had been falsely implicated. He argued there was no evidence in the chargesheet establishing his role or any direct connection with Palande.
'Active member of conspiracy,' says court
Rejecting the plea, the court observed that Thakur’s actions “demonstrate a deeper inculpatory involvement as an active member of a criminal conspiracy rather than merely being a passive facilitator or a victim of circumstances.”
The judge said releasing the applicant — “an educated youth who allegedly used his knowledge to facilitate the crime” — could alert other conspirators and obstruct efforts to trace the money trail.
“Until further investigation, particularly into the electronic evidence and foreign links, is complete, granting bail would be detrimental to the ends of justice,” the court said.
(With PTI inputs.)
