Anil Chamola v. State

Delhi High Court · 20 Sep 2019 · 2019:DHC:4757
Anu Malhotra
Bail Appln. 2380/2019
2019:DHC:4757
criminal petition_dismissed

AI Summary

The Delhi High Court declined anticipatory bail to Anil Chamola in a cheating and criminal conspiracy case due to prima facie evidence of fraudulent financial transactions and the necessity of custodial interrogation.

Full Text
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Bail Appl. 2380/2019 HIGH COURT OF DELHI
BAIL APPLN. 2380/2019
JUDGMENT
reserved on : 20.09.2019
Date of Decision: 20.09.2019 ANIL CHAMOLA ..... Petitioner
Through: Ms. Neha Garg and Mr. Nitin Garg, Advocates.
versus
STATE ..... Respondent
Through: Mr. Kewal Singh Ahuja, APP for State with ASI Kishan Pal
Singh, PS New Ashok Nagar.
CORAM:
HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE ANU MALHOTRA
JUDGMENT
ANU MALHOTRA, J.

1. The applicant seeks the grant of anticipatory bail in relation to the FIR No.179/2019, PS New Ashok Nagar registered under Sections 420/120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 submitting to the effect that the applicant has been falsely implicated and is willing to join the investigation and there are no allegations of any kind against the applicant that he had ever duped the complainant in investing any money into M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd and there in nothing on the 2019:DHC:4757 record to indicate any conversation between the applicant and the complainant as per averments made in the FIR also.

2. The applicant has submitted that there is no element of cheating brought forth against the applicant in any manner. It has also been submitted on behalf of the applicant that one of the co-accused in the instant case namely Romesh Razdan was granted anticipatory bail vide order dated 18.09.2019 and that on parity the applicant be also granted anticipatory bail.

3. On behalf of the State, learned APP for the State has put forth the status report which indicates that the FIR has been registered on the complaint of a complainant aged 78 years who stated that in the year 2015, he met Mr. Romesh Razdan, who represented that Mr. Rakesh Tickoo along with Mr. Anil Chamola i.e. the applicant herein were running a company in the name of AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd. with the registered office at A-74, Sector 4, Noida, U.P-201301 and that the said Romesh Razdan (on bail) had represented that Rakesh Tickoo (co-accused in custody) had dreamt that they would expand the said company to make it with a turnover of more than Rs.25 Crores which would be for the Kashmiri’s and that it would be run by the Kashmiri’s and also for the benefit of people who have been dislocated from their home town and that Mr. Romesh Razdan and Mr. Rakesh Tickoo further induced the complainant for the purpose of duping him and dishonestly and fraudulently took huge sums of money from the complainant under the grab of investment in company and personal friendly loans, with promise to return the money and the accused persons in connivance with each other further induced the complainant to invest the money in the company i.e. M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd of which the certificate of incorporation was stated to be incorporated on 24.09.2014 in which the applicant herein i.e. Anil Chamola and Rakesh Tickoo (accused in custody) were the directors of the said company and from 14.03.2016 to 24.05.2016, Rs. 19 lakhs were obtained by these persons from the complainant in the account of M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd.

4. As per the status report of the State, the complainant is also stated to have become one of the Directors of the company M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd and paid Rs.20 lakhs into the said company vide cheques. The complainant is also stated to have paid Rs.14.30 lakhs into the account of Rakesh Tickoo (accused in custody) and Meenakshi Tickoo (accused stated to be absconding) and also paid Rs.7.80 lakhs in cash to Rakesh Tickoo and before becoming a Director, the complainant paid Rs.25 laksh to the accused persons, some into the account of the company and some into the personal account of Rakesh Tickoo.

5. The State has submitted further through its Status Report that by anylyzing the withdrawal and transfer pattern of the bank accounts of the accused persons, it is indicated that the said persons obtained Rs.20 Lakhs in the account of M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd in the Karnataka Bank from the complainant and instantly around Rs.10 lakhs were transferred in another company Aryan-e-Solutions under the control of Rakesh Tickoo and Anil Chamola i.e. the applicant herein and Rs.[9] lakhs were withdrawn from the account of M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd.

6. As per the status report submitted by the State, some amount of money was transferred from the account of M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd to the account of Aryan-e-Solutions and some money was also withdrawn from M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd vide cheques bearing the signatures of Rakesh Tickoo and Anil Chamola i.e. the applicant herein by the following transactions:-

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Sl.     Date           Cheque No.   Amount (in   Source        Beneficiary                 │
│ No.                                 Rs.)                                                   │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1.      14.03.2016     458235       1,50,000/-   AES           Self                        │
│                                                  Cybernetics                               │
│                                                  Pvt. Ltd.                                 │
│ 2.      14.03.2016     458234       2,00,000/-   AES           Aryan-e-                    │
│                                                  Cybernetics   solutions                   │
│                                                  Pvt. Ltd.     (Axis Bank)                 │
│ 3.      14.03.2016     458237       50,000/-     AES           Self                        │
│                                                  Cybernetics                               │
│                                                  Pvt. Ltd.                                 │
│ 4.      14.03.2016     458238       70,000/-     AES           Self                        │
│                                                  Cybernetics                               │
│                                                  Pvt. Ltd.                                 │
│ 5.      17.03.2016     458239       30,000/-     AES           Self                        │
│                                                  Cybernetics                               │
│                                                  Pvt. Ltd.                                 │
│ 6.      17.03.2016     458240       3,00,000/-   AES           Aryan-e-                    │
│                                                  Cybernetics   solutions                   │
│                                                  Pvt. Ltd.     (Axis Bank)                 │
│ 7.      19.03.2016     458241       1,75,000/-   AES           Self                        │
│                                                  Cybernetics                               │
│                                                  Pvt. Ltd.                                 │
│ 8.      31.03.2016     458242       2,00,000/-   AES           Self                        │
│                                                  Cybernetics                               │
│                                                  Pvt. Ltd.                                 │
│ 9.      02.04.2016     458244       2,00,000/-   AES           Aryan-e-                    │
│                                                  Cybernetics   solutions                   │
│                                                  Pvt. Ltd.     (Axis Bank)                 │
│ 10.     11.04.2016     458245       65,000/-     AES           Self                        │
│ Bail Appl. 2380/2019                                                         Page 4 of 9   │
│                                                                       2019:DHC:4757        │
│                                                Cybernetics                                 │
│                                                Pvt. Ltd.                                   │
│ 11.     16.04.2016     458246     2,50,000/-   AES           Aryan-e-                      │
│                                                Cybernetics   solutions                     │
│                                                Pvt. Ltd.     (Axis Bank)                   │
│ 12.     20.04.2016     458247     80,000/-     AES           Self                          │
│                                                Cybernetics                                 │
│                                                Pvt. Ltd.                                   │
│ 13.     24.05.2016     462321     60,000/-     AES           Rakesh                        │
│                                   (salary)     Cybernetics   Tickoo                        │
│                                                Pvt. Ltd.     (Karb)                        │
│ 14.     25.05.2016     462324     40,000/-     AES           Self                          │
│                                                Cybernetics                                 │
│                                                Pvt. Ltd.                                   │
│ 15.     27.05.2016     462326     10,000/-     AES           Self                          │
│                                                Cybernetics                                 │
│                                                Pvt. Ltd.                                   │
│ 16.     30.05.2016     462329     50,000/-     AES           Self                          │
│                                                Cybernetics                                 │
│                                                Pvt. Ltd.                                   │
│ 17.     31.04.2016     462328     30,000/-     AES           Self                          │
│                                                Cybernetics                                 │
│                                                Pvt. Ltd.                                   │
│ 18.     03.06.2016     462327     15,000/-     AES           Self                          │
│                                                Cybernetics                                 │
│                                                Pvt. Ltd.                                   │
│ 7.     It has thus been submitted by the State that from the account of                    │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

19. 01/11/2016 8000/- Anil Chamola

20. 15/11/2016 15000/- Anil Chamola

21. 02/12/2016 8000/- Anil Chamola

22. 26/12/2016 500/- Anil Chamola Total Rs.1,63,950/and that thus, a sum of Rs.1,63,950/- had been transmitted into the account of the applicant herein namely Anil Chamola.

8. The State has further submitted that the co-accused Rakesh Tickoo was arrested on 29.08.2019 and during interrogation he disclosed that he was running M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd with Anil Chamola i.e. the applicant herein and Romesh Razdan and that on 21.07.2019, Mr. Anil Chamola i.e. the applicant herein joined the investigation and disclosed that Mr. P.L. Fotedar invested money in M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd and that there were some transactions between Rakesh Tickoo and PL Fotedar also.

9. It has also been submitted by the State that there are other cases also pending against the applicant herein namely Anil Chamola, which are to the effect:-

S. No. Case No./CC No. Complainant Alleged Persons

PS U/S Next Date of Hearing Status 1 9298/17 Bansi Lal Arora Rakesh Tickoo Anil Chamola Greater Kailash NI Act 30/10/2019 Pending

13,985 characters total

2. 6364/17 Bansi Lal Arora Rakesh Tickoo Anil Chamola Greater Kailash NI Act 30/10/2019 Pending and that it had also been brought forth to the knowledge of the State that the case bearing no.1606128/2014 Ms HCL Infosystem Vs. MS Aryan E Solutions is also pending.

10. The status report submitted by the State states to the effect that the co-accused Rakesh Tickoo was in custody and the account/place where the money had been parked by the accused persons was yet to be ascertained for which custodial interrogation of the applicant is required for ascertaining the facts and recovery of money.

11. Undoubtedly, the co-accused Romesh Razdan in Bail Application No.2259/2019 has been granted anticipatory bail. However, it is essential to observe that the amount transferred in his account is stated to be only Rs.82 lakhs and furthermore, the said applicant Romesh Razdan was 61 years of age and it was submitted by the State under the instructions of the Investigation Officer ASI Kishan Pal, PS New Ashok Nagar that no further custodial interrogation of that accused namely Romesh Razdan was required, as a consequence of which the said Romesh Razdan was allowed to be released on bail in the event of arrest on conditions that he would submit a bail bond in the sum of Rs.[1] lakh with one surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of the learned Trial Court with directions that he would not leave the country and would join the investigation as and when required.

12. In the instant case, however, the status report that has been put forth by the State indicates that amounts of money have been transferred from M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd into the account of company called Aryan-e-Solutions, which are under the control of the co-accused Rakesh Tickoo and Anil Chamola i.e. the applicant herein and cheques bearing the signatures of the applicant herein have been issued whereby money has been withdrawn from M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd in which the complainant had invested his earning.

13. The status report also indicates that from the account of Rakesh Tickoo, the co-accused, money has also been transmitted into the personal account of Anil Chamola i.e. the applicant herein to the tune of Rs. 1,63,950/-, though the applicant herein namely Anil Chamola is stated to have resigned from M/s AES Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd on 27.03.2018, prima facie the factum that there are amounts of money transmitted into the account of the applicant which in turn have been transferred into his account by Rakesh Tickoo, it is apparent that to ascertain the money trail in the matter, the custodial interrogation of the applicant would be required by the State.

14. In the circumstances, the application seeking grant of anticipatory bail by the applicant herein is declined. ANU MALHOTRA, J. SEPTEMBER 20, 2019