Delhi HC refuses bail in online fraud case, flags surge in digital scams across India

The Delhi High Court has declined to grant bail to two men who have been accused of playing a part in a pan-India cyber scam.

While passing the order, the Court made a pointed observation – cybercrime in India is rising rapidly and is no longer confined to a specific location, city, or region. Offenders sitting anywhere in the country can deceive people spread out across multiple states.

Justice Ajay Digpaul delivered the order on November 3, remarking that online fraud today is “trans-territorial” in nature, and therefore requires greater judicial caution when courts are asked to release accused persons at the early stages of the case. According to the judge, showing softness at the bail stage could end up weakening deterrence in offences that are technologically layered and professionally organised.

The case stems from a complaint handled by the Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) arm of the Delhi Police’s Special Cell. Multiple victims reported that they had been approached via WhatsApp and Telegram trading groups, where they were told they could make profits by investing in online trading through specific apps and websites. Money was transferred – and after that, the victims were blocked and cut off.

One such complainant, Vishal Sodhi, said he had transferred ₹29.5 lakh to a Punjab National Bank account held under the name “R.S. Trading”. As the investigation unfolded, the police found that the account had been opened in the name of “Rinku Singh” – a fictitious identity.

The trail allegedly led officers to Munish Sharma, who was found with multiple mobile phones. Forensic analysis of those devices showed that they were logged into the email linked to the R.S. Trading account. Sharma, according to police papers, admitted that he and a second accused, Gaurav Kumar, used to source pre-opened bank accounts and sell these credentials to other players for cash.

Investigators claim that these accounts were ultimately being handed over to a man called Ram Kumar Raman, who then supplied them to individuals based outside India – including operators in Dubai – who were allegedly running investment scam operations.

Another accused, Paramjit Kharb, is alleged to be the person who fabricated Aadhaar and PAN cards in the “Rinku Singh” identity and opened several bank accounts under that fake profile. Police allege these accounts were sold for ₹50,000 per account to Kumar and Sharma, who then resold them to Raman for ₹1 lakh each.

The police have filed a chargesheet against all of them, and two of the accused – Kharb and Raman – approached the High Court asking for bail. Their lawyers argued that they were being implicated based on statements of co-accused persons, and that no independent material linked them directly to the actual fraud.

However, the prosecution opposed the request, stating that the evidence gathered so far shows that this was not an isolated incident, but a coordinated fraud operation – involving forged identities, multiple shell accounts, and remote access being provided to actors sitting abroad.

After going through the case material, the Court said that at this point, there appears to be a prima facie link between the two petitioners and the forged documents, bank accounts, and the wider chain of operations.

Given the seriousness of the allegations and the suggestion of a larger conspiracy still being examined, the Court said there was no ground to grant bail “at this stage”.