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Delhi HC refuses foreign national bail in fraud case
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....elhi HC refuses foreign national bail in fraud case<BR>PTI News<BR>Dated:- 14-7-2025<BR>PTI<BR>New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has denied bail to a foreign national, accused of impersonating and duping people on matrimonial websites, prima facie finding him an "active participant in a well-organised" international racket of cyber fraud. Justice Shalinder Kaur observed the "internat....
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....ional and organised character of the syndicate" and the "technical sophistication of the modus operandi" and said it was not inclined to exercise its discretion in favour of the petitioner accused. Paul Onyeji Atuh, a Nigerian national, faced rejection of his bail plea for allegedly being a part of a structured online cyber fraud syndicate targeting persons by impersonation on matrimonial websit....
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....es and social media platforms. He was stated to have come to India on a student visa in 2020. "The nature and scope of the operation, as revealed by the investigation, demonstrates that this was not an isolated or impulsive act of deceit, but a meticulously executed plan involving the use of fake profiles and digital morphing tools such as the 'Ding Tone App'," the court said on July 11. Atu....
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....h was booked for cheating in March 2022 by the Cyber Central District police station in New Delhi following a complaint by a woman. She claimed being duped of Rs 55,900 by someone identifying as one Dr Ankit Verma, a Canada resident, on matrimonial website Sangam.com. The complainant alleged receiving a message in December 2021 that Verma had arrived at the Delhi Airport from Canada and was de....
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....tained by customs officials for carrying excessive foreign currency. She also received a call from someone claiming to be a customs official and demanding a penalty of Rs 55,900. The complainant transferred the amount in two instalments the same day. Another demand of Rs 1.5 lakh was subsequently made for "clearance from the Ministry of Finance" following which the woman suspected foul play an....
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....d lodged a formal complaint. Atuh was arrested in May 2022 from Greater Noida. Police's investigation revealed Atuh and two other accused allegedly operated using 26 bank accounts, 15 cell phones, 20 SIM cards, two laptops and four dongle devices. The police also seized Rs 1.95 lakh in cash and approximately Rs 4 lakh was frozen in various bank accounts. The police identified a total of 17 v....
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....ictims with cumulative losses amounting to Rs 33.73 lakh. The accused counsel claimed his client had been framed in the case and had been in custody since May 2022, with an incarceration of over 3.2 years. The court said the bank account to which the complainant transferred the defrauded amount of Rs 55,900 was found in WhatsApp conversations recovered from Atuh's phone. "In the present case....
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...., given the international and organised character of the syndicate, the technical sophistication of the modus operandi, the presence of multiple victims and multiple FIRs, and the absence of any mitigating circumstance or compelling ground warranting bail, this court is not inclined to exercise its discretion in favour of the petitioner," it held. PTI SKV SKV AMK AMK<BR> News - Press release - PIB....
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