Mumbai: A sessions court on Monday granted pre-arrest bail to NCP leader Nawab Malik’s son Faraz Malik, 42, and daughter-in-law and French national Laura Hamelin, 33, in a case of securing a forged marriage certificate.
On Saturday, the sessions court had directed the police not to take any coercive action temporarily against the couple. A detailed order is yet to be available.
The duo had filed an anticipatory bail application before the court apprehending arrest in a cheating and forgery case registered against them in Kurla police station over the forged document. The duo claimed they are victims of a fraud by the agent and have nothing to do with the offence.
The couple said in their application that in end-2018, Ms Hamelin needed a marriage certificate due to personal reasons and received advice from other expats of the city that she can procure it by using the services of an agency. Their staff found details from the civic body, completed formalities and provided them with the marriage certificate processed by the BMC and an agent named Vijay.
They said they later found that a police complaint had been registered against them alleging that the document was forged. Their staff explained to them that he had been introduced to an agent by someone at the BMC’s ward office and that the agent had offered to get the work done at a fee of Rs3,000. The couple annexed with their plea the WhatsApp conversation of their staff with the agent. They said they later found that the agent had a criminal case against him for selling fabricated marriage, birth, death and other documents and was on bail in that case.
The couple further said that they were ready to cooperate with the police and urged that they not be arrested as they are parents to young children whom their arrest may affect emotionally.
