A sessions court has rejected the bail application of a 21-year-old Chembur resident, Akash Fulwariya, who is accused of defrauding a victim of over ₹1 crore in an online share market scam. Special Judge AV Gujarathi, while denying bail, emphasized the growing threat of online fraud and the need for public awareness against allowing misuse of bank accounts for criminal activities.
The case was registered at the south cyber police station following a complaint by a businessman. According to the prosecution, the victim was contacted via Facebook and WhatsApp between March 31 and July 3, 2025, by an individual posing as Sandhya Agrawal. This person allegedly lured the victim with false promises of high returns in the share market, which led the victim to deposit ₹1.2 crore into various bank accounts.
During the investigation, the police traced ₹1.05 lakh of the defrauded amount to a bank account jointly held by Fulwariya and a co-accused, Mohanlal Mundotiya. Fulwariya was subsequently arrested and charged under the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, likely referring to the new criminal code) and the IT Act.
The defense lawyer argued that Fulwariya was falsely implicated, had no knowledge of the fraud, and was merely a recipient of the transferred funds. However, the court found a strong prima facie case against him. Judge Gujarathi stated, "Innocent people are losing their hard-earned money due to cyber frauds. Everybody must be aware that he or she should not permit the other person to misuse his or her bank account for criminal activities".
In a similar case, a local Chandigarh court also dismissed the bail application of Vijay Kumar, who was accused of a cyber fraud involving over ₹1 crore. Manjeet, the complainant in that case, stated that she received an anonymous phone call claiming her mobile number was linked to suspicious activity and money laundering. Subsequently, a person impersonating a CBI officer contacted her via WhatsApp, informing her of an ICICI Bank account opened in her name being used for money laundering. The caller pressured her to deposit her savings into various accounts under the guise of safekeeping, ultimately defrauding her of ₹1.01 crore.
Vijay Kumar's lawyer argued that he was falsely implicated and only dealt with bank accounts, not being directly involved in the fraud. However, the public prosecutor stated that Vijay Kumar was arrested on July 27, 2025, and the investigation established his involvement. The court denied bail, citing the risk of evidence tampering and the rise of such cybercrimes.
These cases highlight a growing trend of online financial fraud and the strict stance taken by the courts against such crimes. The Bombay High Court also recently denied bail to Sandip Chintaman Samant, accused of defrauding investors through a fake company scheme promising unrealistic returns. Similarly, the Delhi High Court denied anticipatory bail to a man accused of extorting ₹1.75 crore by impersonating a police officer and presenting fake Supreme Court orders via WhatsApp. These instances reflect the increasing sophistication and prevalence of digital fraud, prompting legal authorities to take a firm approach in addressing these offenses.
