'Foolish, Not Guilty': 56-Year-Old Man Granted Bail For Letting Fraudsters Use His Bank Account

Mumbai: The sessions court recently granted bail to a 56-year-old man who, in return for a commission, let fraudsters use his account to park funds.

About The Case

The court observed that the man, Junaid Shaikh, was “foolish, if not innocent” and did not have the intention to cheat. A case was lodged with Matunga police station by a complainant who fell prey to cybercrime. It was claimed that a man named Amit had contacted the complainant promising huge profits through online share trading.

The complainant claimed he transferred Rs 8 lakh as suggested by the accused. When he was not able to withdraw money, he suspected a fraud and registered a case. During the probe, the police claimed that Shaikh was one of the beneficiaries of funds to the tune of Rs3 lakh. Shaikh’s lawyer, however, claimed he was innocent himself a victim of fraud.

The defence lawyer claimed that the absconding accused, Amit, had induced him to open a bank account against payment of Rs 5,000. It was further contended that only Amit could withdraw the amount received by Shaikh, who was also offered Rs2,000 to suggest other names to open accounts. The plea was objected to by public prosecutor Ramesh Siroya.