New Delhi, Jun 12 A Delhi court has denied bail to a man accused of honey-trapping a Haryana judicial officer and allegedly cheating her of over Rs 52 lakh through a dating app, saying that the case bore "all the hallmarks" of a romantic cyber fraud and that the accused appeared to be concealing material evidence.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Partap Singh Laler was hearing the bail plea filed by Deepak Vats, who was arrested in connection with an e-FIR registered by the IFSO unit of Delhi Police's Special Cell under provisions relating to cheating, impersonation and criminal conspiracy.
In an order dated June 9, the court said, “The investigation is still at an early stage, and several material lines of inquiry remain unexplored, including the identity and role of the exchanger entities. The accused's release at this juncture may frustrate the completion of these inquiries”.
The court noted that although the complaint was filed in the name of a domestic worker, Diksha Devi, the money trail showed that almost all transactions were made from the bank accounts of Haryana judicial officer Harshali Chowdhary, whom the court described as the "actual and real victim".
According to the prosecution, Vats befriended Chowdhary on Tinder, posing as 'Abhimanyu Vashishth', allegedly claiming to be an officer in a secret government department. He was accused of inducing the victim to transfer Rs 52.81 lakh on the promise of high returns.
The court said that WhatsApp chats placed on record by the accused reflected a romantic relationship and corresponded closely with a series of financial transfers made by the victim.
"In the considered view of this court, the pattern of financial transactions correlating so precisely and immediately with the WhatsApp communications is consistent with the hypothesis of a honey trap," the judge said.
The court, however, also expressed concerns over the manner of investigation, saying that crucial electronic evidence had not been collected from the victim's side. It pointed out that Tinder records, WhatsApp chats, call records, and other digital evidence had not been obtained despite being readily available.
The judge further questioned the prosecution's explanation regarding a cash deposit of Rs 5 lakh allegedly made by the complainant, a domestic worker, saying that the claim required independent verification.
“The victim is a serving judicial officer. The risk of the accused, if released, approaching or influencing a Judicial Officer or trying to pressurise her using intimate material, even indirectly, is a consideration that this court cannot discount,” the court said.
At the same time, the court found the accused had selectively produced only messages sent by Chowdhary while withholding his own communications and refused to provide the password of his seized mobile phone.
“The accused has received a sum exceeding Rs 52 lakhs, the overwhelming bulk of which flows directly and traceably from the accounts of a judicial officer who is the real victim in this case. The money trail in the bank statement is unambiguous,” the court said.
The court directed the investigating officer to obtain and preserve Chowdhary's complete WhatsApp and Tinder records, verify alleged meetings between the parties, investigate the source of the Rs 5 lakh cash deposit and probe entities through which portions of the money were allegedly routed.
