‘Online fraud during pandemic a crime against humanity’

New Delhi:

Online fraud

during a

pandemic

is an

offence

against

humanity

, said a

sessions court

,

denying

bail to a

man

who allegedly

cheated

a person by taking his money and not providing him with an

oxygen cylinder

.

The victim had posted a request for an oxygen cylinder on Facebook to which the accused responded by calling him up. He demanded Rs 26,000. The victim transferred half the amount to an account. The accused, however, demanded the rest of the money too prompting the victim to realise he was being defrauded.

The

bail

order passed by additional sessions judge Ajay Kumar Jain held, “The main accused was found to have contacted the complainant, pursuant to which Rs 13,000 was transferred into the account of the co-accused. The oxygen cylinder was also not delivered. The present accused with the co-accused was found to be involved in online fraud in this pandemic time, which is an offence against humanity.”

Advocate Rakesh Malviya earlier sought bail for 22-year-old Rahul Chadda, saying he had no antecedents and hadn’t received the money as it was transferred to the account of co-accused Kulveer Singh. Chadda, his lawyer said, was ready to pay Rs 13,000 back. He further submitted that the accused had been in custody from May 13, 2021 and there was no one else to look after his aged parents in the current pandemic situation. Accused is no longer required for investigation, therefore, he could be released on bail, he argued.

Additional public prosecutor Ravindra Kumar, however, maintained that the complainant was duped by Chadda and the co-accused. The court was also informed that Chadda’s cellphone, with which he communicated with the complainant, had been seized after his arrest. “The main accused is yet to be arrested,” he submitted.

The prosecutor also highlighted that the accused wouldn’t benefit from the high-powered committee guidelines relating to decongestion of jails as the case pertained to a fraud committed over a Covid-19 resource – oxygen cylinder.

The court took note of the prosecutor’s submission and stated, “Considering the nature of offence, I am not inclined to release the accused, Rahul Chadda, on bail and hence, the present application is dismissed.”

On the basis of the complaint, Delhi Police’s special cell booked a case under sections 420 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information), 34 (common intention) of IPC and 66D (punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the information Technology Act.