1 2025:CGHC:56117 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 9254 of 2025 Praveen Kumar Dubey S/o Sheetal Dhar Dubey Aged About 37 Years R/o - 88, Santoshipara, Telibandha Raipur, District - Raipur (C.G.) ... Applicant versus State Of Chhattisgarh Through Station House Officer, Police Station - Cyber Range Raipur, District - Raipur (C.G.) ---- Non-applicant For Applicant : Mr. Ali Afzaal Mirza, Advocate. For Non-applicant/State : Mr. Jitendra Shrivastava, Govt. Advocate. Hon'ble Shri Ramesh Sinha , Chief Justice Order on Board 18.11.2025 1. This is the First bail application filed under Section 483 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for grant of regular bail to the applicant arrested in connection with Crime No. 129/2025 registered at Police Station – Cyber Range, Raipur, District – Raipur (C.G.) for the offence punishable under Sections 317(2), 317(4), 317(5), 111(3) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS). 2. Case of the prosecution, in brief, is that an information was received at police station Civil Lines Raipur, whereby on 23.03.2025 upon considering the information received from Cyber Range Police RAJSHEKHAR SONI Digitally signed by RAJSHEKHAR SONI 2 Station Raipur for actions against the mule account holders through the coordination portal operated by Home Ministry, Government of India, prima facie crime U/s 317(2), 317(4), 317(5), 111 & 3(5) of B.N.S. 2023 was found to have been committed, therefore the crime was registered and was taken up for investigation. That, the information reflects in the Coordination Portal of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center which in operated by the Home Ministry, Government of India, which is a comprehensive guide for sharing information as to Cyber Crime for the purpose of investigation by the Police, upon receiving such information of the mule account which is being used for disbursing, utilizing and enriching the amount obtained from the Cyber Fraud, therefore such information related to Cyber Fraud was collected from the Coordination Portal, in which a total of 128 Bank Accounts of the Bank of Maharashtra Raipur Branch were found to have deposits of Rs. 64,10,855/- till 11.01.2025, which had been obtained by way of Cyber Fraud. Upon receiving the said information and having reason to believe that the amount is being used, concealed or disposed for the purpose of Cyber Fraud with respect to the aforesaid bank accounts, the offence was registered and taken up for investigation. Hence, this application. 3. Learned counsel appearing for the applicant submits that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case. It is further submitted that the charge-sheet has been submitted in this case. It is further submitted that no incriminating material or proceeds of crime have been recovered from the 3 applicant. The entire case is based on statements and assumptions without any direct material evidence against the applicant. The applicant is in jail since 26.03.2025, and the conclusion of the trial shall take quite long time. Therefore, he prays for grant of bail. 4. On the other hand, learned State counsel opposes the bail application and submits that from the perusal of the case-diary it transpires that the present case involves serious allegations of cyber-financial fraud wherein the applicant has played a conscious and active role by making his bank account a mule account for receiving proceeds of large-scale online cheating committed across the country. The applicant operated Bank of Maharashtra Account No. 60484808101, which reflects suspicious financial credits amounting to Rs. 18,96,455 within a short span of time, clearly demonstrating its use as a conduit for fraudulent transactions. As per Cyber Crime Portal Acknowledgement No. 33303240005983, amounts fraudulently deducted from victims, including complainant Snehal Pandey and others, were transferred directly into the applicant’s account. During investigation the applicant admitted that he handed over his bank account kit, ATM, and cheque book to one Vijay Sona for unlawful purposes in exchange for Rs. 5,000, thereby knowingly facilitating cyber criminals in laundering cheated money. Despite statutory notices under Sections 35(3) and 94 B.N.S.S., the applicant failed to produce any valid documents or explanation justifying the suspicious transactions, nor did he cooperate with the investigation, which further establishes his connivance; that the applicant’s account has been implicated in three cyber-fraud cases 4 across different States, indicating his link with an organized cyber- crime network. Given the gravity of the offence, the magnitude of fraudulent transactions, the applicant's deliberate involvement, and the risk of tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses, releasing the applicant on bail at this stage would amount to hamper the investigation. So far as the other co-accused persons are concerned, there bail application have already been rejected by this Court vide orders dated 12.09.2025 and 31.10.2025 passed in MCRC Nos. 7344/2025 and 8661/2025, and order dated 17.11.2025 passed in MCRC Nos. 9224/2025, 8714/2025, 8228/2025, 9209/2025 and 9197/2025, respectively. As such, the bail application deserves to be rejected. 5. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the case diary. 6. From the perusal of the records as well as the bail rejection order of the trial Court concerned, and considering the overall incriminating facts and circumstances emerging from the case diary, it is evident that the bank account bearing No. 60486587484 opened through the applicant’s active facilitation and operated using a SIM card procured by him was used as a mule account for receiving and siphoning fraudulent cyber-crime proceeds amounting to more than Rs. 63,56,787/-, out of which Rs. 62,49,818/- has already been withdrawn. The statements of the account holder and the registered SIM card holder categorically attribute the operation and control of the said account to the applicant. The applicant’s own memorandum further establishes that he deliberately procured the KYC-linked 5 mobile number, got it registered with the fraudulent bank account, and handed over the internet banking ID, password, and ATM card to his associate for illegal financial transactions in return for monetary commission. Five cyber-crime complaints from different States stand registered against the accounts linked to him, demonstrating his involvement in a wider, organized cyber-fraud network. His persistent non-cooperation during investigation, failure to produce any valid documents regarding the extraordinary financial transactions, and the likelihood of tampering with crucial digital evidence further strengthen the prosecution case. In these circumstances, the role of the applicant is clear, direct, and indispensable to the commission of the offence, and therefore. So far as the other co-accused persons are concerned, there bail application have already been rejected by this Court vide orders dated 12.09.2025 and 31.10.2025 passed in MCRC Nos. 7344/2025 and 8661/2025, and order dated 17.11.2025 passed in MCRC Nos. 9224/2025, 8714/2025, 8228/2025, 9209/2025 and 9197/2025, respectively. Therefore, this Court is of the opinion that it is not a fit case to enlarge the applicant on regular bail. 7. Accordingly, this first bail application of applicant – Praveen Kumar Dubey involved in Crime No. 129/2025 registered at Police Station – Civil Line, Raipur, District – Raipur (C.G.) for the offence punishable under Sections 317(2), 317(4), 317(5), 111(3) and 3(5) of the BNS, is rejected at this stage. 8. Needless to say that the learned trial Court concerned is at liberty to proceed with the trial and conclude the same, expeditiously. 6 9. Office is directed to send a certified copy of this order to the trial Court concerned for necessary information and compliance forthwith. Sd/- (Ramesh Sinha) Chief Justice Rajshekhar