IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI nP THURSDAY, THE EIGHTH DAY OF MAY TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE -t/ iPRESENT: HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE T MALLIKARJUNA RAO^ 1 CRIMINAL PETITION NO: 4180 OF 2025 Between: Mr Arava Surya Teja. S/o Nagamani, aged 36 years, Deputy Branch Head Union Bank of India, Nagalapuram Branch, Tirupati District. ...Petitioner/Accused No.1 AND The State of Andhra Pradesh, Through the Station House Officer, Nagalapuram Police Station, Nagalapuram, Tirupathi District, rep by the Public Prosecutor, High Court of AP, at Amaravathi. ...Respondent Petition under Section 480 & 483 of BNSS, 2023 is filed praying that in the circumstances stated in memorandum of grounds of Criminal Petition, the High Court may be pleased to enlarge the Petitioner/Accused No.1 on bail in Crime No. 14 of 2025, on the file of the Nagalapuram Police Station, Tirupathi District; The petition coming on for hearing, upon perusing the Petition and memorandum of grounds of criminal petition and upon hearing the arguments of Sri V.R.Machavaram, Advocate for the Petitioner; APHC010197232025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI (Special Original Jurisdiction) THURSDAY, THE EIGHTH DAY OF MAY TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE ■ LI [3369] PRESENT THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE T MALLIKARJUNA RAO CRIMINAL PETITION NO: 4180/2025 Between: Arava Surya Teja ...PETITIONER/ACCUSED AND The State Of Andhra Pradesh ...RESPONDENT/COMPLAINANT Counsel for the Petitioner/accused: 1.VRMACHAVARAM Counsel for the Respondent/complainant: 1. The Court made the following: ORDER: This Criminal Petition, u/Sec.480 & 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, has been filed by the petitioner/A1, seeking bail, in Crime No.14/2025 of Nagalapuram Police Station, Tirupati District. A case has been registered against the petitioner and another for the offence punishable u316(5), 318(4), 323, 306, 198 r/w 3(5) of B.N.S. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Assistant Public Prosecutor representing the respondent/State. Case of the prosecution, in brief, is that, this is a case of criminal breach of trust, cheating and theft that occurred in between 24.5.2024 and 2. 3. 4. "X 2 10.2.2024 at Union Bank of India, Nagalapuram Branch. Tirpuati District, wherein A1 who is the person in-charge for processing gold loans and also of the joint custodians of the iron safes of the gold ornaments, took out 30 gold jewellery packets pledged by the 30 customers from the iron safes of the branch, gross weighing about 2728.8 grams worth about sanctioned loan of an amount of Rs.1,04,79,000/- one Rs.1,58,36,732/- pertaining to 30 gold loans and he pledged 2634.2 grams out of 2728.8 worth about Rs.1,53,06,732/- in various NBFC's and pawn broker's He handed over grams, shops and took money from them and used for his own. remaining 94.6 grams worth about Rs.5,30,000/- to the complainant V.Brahmaiah, Deputy Regional Head and G.Ramprasad, Regional Head of UBI Regional Office, Tirupati on the day the officer was found i.e. 10.02.2025. Moreover another 37 gold loans were sanctioned total loan on amount of Rs.1,30,79,000/- by misappropriating the branch by A1 by utilizing his designation and official duties in the names of 11 people known to him by pledging his own gold and the gold jewels of some customers who had already pledged in his branch through cycling and repeating process and taken out an mount of Rs.1,30,79,000/- from them and used for his own benefits. Due to this, the Bank lost Rs.2,83,85,732/- and A2 being the Authorized Officer to approve the gold loans processed by A1 and also being the joint custodian of gold safe along with safe in and out register is equally responsible for the misappropriation, cheating and theft committed by A1 due to Tiraivaraj (A2) as Manager, he knew the importance and value 3 of the joint custodianship, he illegally omitted his job responsibilities and contrary to the rules, regularly gave custodian keys to him as another custodian officer, against the rules which not only inspired A1 to commit the offence but also aided him to do it easily. Basing on the report of complainant, the Investigating Officer has registered the above said crime and during the course of investigation, arrested the petitioner/A1 13.3.2025 and got remanded him to judicial custody. Heard. Perused the record. Learned counsel for the petitioner contends that the petitioner has no role in the commission of the offence and the branch manager who is A2 so far has not been arrested and most of the investigation is completed and prays to allow the criminal petition and enlarge the petitioner on bail. Learned Assistant Public Prosecutor opposes to grant bail on the ground that investigation is not completed and some more witnesses are to be examined and have to record their statements. As seen from the record, the petitioner was arrested on 13.3.2025 on 5. 6. 7. \ 8. and since then he has been in judicial custody, this Court found that most of the investigation pertaining to the role played by the petitioner in the commission of the offence would be completed, permanent abode as such there is no possibility of his fleeing away from the jurisdiction of the Court. The petitioner has Most of the investigation pertaining to the role played by the petitioner would be completed. As seen from the nature of the allegations, the case against the petitioner will be mostly based on the \ 4 4 documentary evidence which is said to be in thre custody of the bank itself, as such this Court found that the release of the accused would not cause hampering of investigation and tampering of evidence. In view of the same, this Court is inclined to grant bail to the petitioner. In the result, the Criminal Petition is allowed with the following 9. conditions: (i) The petitioner/A1 herein shall be released on his executing a personal bond for Rs.50,000/- (Rupees fifty thousand only) with two sureties for a like sum each to the satisfaction of the learned Judicial First Class Magistrate, Sathyavedu; (ii) On release, the petitioner shall appear before the Station House Officer concerned on every Sunday between 10.00 a.m. and 01.00 p.m., for a period of three (03) months, (iii) the petitioner shall not tamper with the evidence and hamper the investigation and shall cooperate for investigation. SD/- N.NAG ASSISTANT RE IMA I^TRAR //TRUE COPY// SECTION OFFICER Foi To, Judicial First Class Magistrate, Sathyavedu. Sub Jail, Sathyavedu, Tirupahi. 1. The 2. The Superintendent 3. The Station House Officer, Nagalapuram Police Station, Tirupathi District. 4. One CC to Sri. V.R.Machavaram, Advocate [OPUC] Prosecutor, High Court of AP [OUT] 5. Two CCs to Public 6. One spare copy MM \ HIGH COURT TMR,J DATED:08/05/2025 ORDER CRLP.No.4180 of 2025 V' ALLOWED .. *•