In a major relief to celebrity hairstylist and entrepreneur Jawed Habib and his son Anosh Habib, the Allahabad High Court on Monday granted them protection from arrest until the police file a chargesheet in a fraud case registered against them in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Advocate Shikhar Neelkanth told, "Around 32 FIRs were filed against Jawed Habib, and his son, there was an accused Saiful. We had come to the HC for protection. The division bench of HC has provided protection from arrest."
The order came after the father-son duo approached the High Court seeking the cancellation of the FIR lodged against them at the Raeesatti police station in Sambhal. The case involves allegations of cheating and fraud amounting to several crores of rupees.
According to the complaint, Jawed Habib, his son, and other family members allegedly lured people into investing in a company named FLC (Follicle Global Company) during an event held in 2023 at the Royal Palace Venkat Hall in Sambhal’s Sarayatain area. Around 150 people reportedly attended the event, where investors were promised 50–75% returns on investments in Bitcoin and Binance Coin.
Police said investors contributed between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh each, but no returns were given even after a year. Investigations later revealed that the company had shut down and the accused were untraceable. The total amount of fraud is estimated at Rs 5–7 crore.
So far, 32 cases have been registered against Jawed Habib and his son across different locations, and a Look Out Circular (LOC) has also been issued. Police are now probing possible links to their Delhi and Mumbai bases.
The division bench of Justice Siddharth Verma and Justice Achal Sachdeva directed that no coercive action be taken against the duo until the chargesheet is filed.
