Act Against 'Hardened Criminals' Who Cheat In Name Of Lucky Draw, Reward & Loan: Allahabad HC Asks DGP To Issue Circular

The Allahabad High Court last week called out the Uttar Pradesh Police to take widespread action to book 'hardened criminals' who call up citizens and make them cough up money by offering alluring schemes for the provision of loans or TV show rewards or lottery bonanzas.

The Bench of Justice J. J. Munir directed the Director General of Police, U.P., Lucknow to immediately issue circulars to the District Police Heads to come down heavily on such cheats and frauds and bring them to book.

The case in brief

A person died by suicide after losing a sum of Rs.1 lakh to cheats and frauds. He was promised a Bank loan of Rs.10 lakhs and in consideration, he was asked to pay a sum of Rs.1 lakh and odd.

Thereafter, he was allegedly ditched, and therefore, failing to withstand the shock, he ultimately died by suicide.

In connection with this matter, the bail applicant before the Court was arrested and it was alleged that he is part of an organized racket, who are cheating the public of their hard-earned money, adding to their already accentuated woes

The bail applicant was allegedly caught red-handed along with those men, from whose custody mobile phones etc. have been recovered, that were employed in perpetuating the fraud.

Stressing that such crimes have to be dealt with by an iron hand, the Court refused to grant him bail and remarked thus:

"The act of cheating a person, seemingly by a well-organized gang, in times that are so hard and dear on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, where scores of citizens have lost their jobs, is an enormous crime"

Further, the Court observed that the deceased dying by suicide, may not technically lead to the applicant or the other co-accused being guilty of the offence of abetment or it may, but certainly it was a dastardly act of cheating, practiced on innocent citizens by a well-organized racket of men, who have no conscience.

Lastly, the court directed the Director-General of Police, U.P., Lucknow to take immediate steps to trace out this widespread racket of hardened criminals, who are cunning cheats, calling up innocent citizens with alluring offers about the extension of loans or lucky draws that they have won or rewards relating to TV shows, that have gone in their favour, so as to extract hard-earned money from their pockets in these trying times.

Case title - Kuldeep v. State of U.P.

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