HC seeks state’s reply on anticipatory bail to accused in US job fraud case

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court has denied anticipatory bail to a man accused of allegedly swindling Rs 11.5 lakh from another man on the pretext of securing a job in the US and directed the state govt to file its objections in the matter. A single bench of Justice Siddharth Sah was hearing an application filed by accused Sudhir Kumar, and listed the next hearing for Tuesday.The case unfolded last month when Puran Chandra Pandey, a resident of Haldwani, had filed a complaint at Jaspur police station in Udham Singh Nagar district against Sudhir, a resident of Jaspur, alleging he duped him of Rs 11 lakh in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic on the pretext of providing him a job in the US. When he did not receive the visa, he put pressure on Sudhir to return the money.In 2022, Sudhir told him that the visa had been processed and that an additional Rs 50,000 was required but despite making the payment, the visa was not issued. After threatening legal action, Sudhir allegedly provided him with a fake visa last year, which had an issue date of Aug 23, 2025. Verification revealed that no such visa was issued by the US.Pandey said he had filed a complaint at Jaspur police station, but no action was taken. A case was subsequently registered after a complaint was filed with higher authorities.