1 CGHC010228772026 2026:CGHC:30228 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 5387 of 2026 1 - Ujjwal Dongre S/o Kishore Kumar Dongre Aged About 29 Years R/o Housing Board Colony, M.I.G.- 08, Namnakala, Police Station- Gandhinagar, Tehsil- Ambikapur, District- Surguja (C.G.) ... Applicant(s) versus 1 - State of Chhattisgarh Through Station House Officer, Police Station- Gandhinagar, Ambikapur, District- Surguja (C.G.) ... Respondent(s) For Applicant(s) : Mr. Sushil Dubey, Advocate For Respondent(s)/State : Mr. Jitendra Shrivastava, Advocate Hon'ble Mr. Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice Order on Board 16.07.2026 1. This is the First bail application filed under Section 483 of Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for grant of regular bail RUCHI YADAV Digitally signed by RUCHI YADAV 2 to the applicant who has been arrested in connection with Crime No. 695/2025 registered at Police Station –Gandhinagar, Ambikapur, District- Surguja (C.G.), for the offence punishable under Sections 317(4), 318(4) and 61(2) of BNS, 2023. 2. The prosecution case, in brief, is that the complainant, Asan Ram Manikpuri, Director of Maa Kudargadhi Foundation, Gandhinagar, Ambikapur, lodged a written report on 12.12.2025 alleging that the co-accused persons, namely Sudhir Yadav and Sunil, fraudulently obtained a SIM card linked to the Foundation's current account and used the said account to carry out unauthorized financial transactions amounting to ₹2,96,45,385/- during the period from 27.10.2025 to 29.10.2025. On the basis of the said report, the police registered the crime. During the course of investigation, the present applicant came to be implicated on the basis of the memorandum statement of the co-accused and was arrested on 19.04.2026. 3. Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case. It is contended that the applicant is not named in the First Information Report and has been implicated during the course of investigation without any direct or cogent material connecting him with the alleged offence. It is further submitted that there was an unexplained delay in lodging the FIR, which creates doubt regarding the prosecution case. Learned counsel also submits that the complainant has filed a no-objection before the trial Court, 3 which has not been duly considered. It is further contended that the applicant has no criminal antecedents, has been in judicial custody since 19.04.2026, and the trial is likely to take considerable time to conclude. Accordingly, it is prayed that the applicant be enlarged on regular bail. 4. Learned State counsel opposes the prayer for grant of bail and submits that as per the affidavit filed by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Ambikapur, District Surguja, the applicant is involved in a serious offence involving large-scale online financial fraud. It is contended that, during the course of investigation, the co- accused, in his memorandum statement, disclosed the active involvement of the present applicant in arranging the bank account used for the fraudulent transactions and facilitating the commission of the offence. Learned State counsel further submits that the WhatsApp chat records exchanged between the applicant and the co-accused reveal the sharing of account details and commission-related transactions. It is further submitted that, upon interrogation, the applicant's memorandum statement was recorded and the deleted chats exchanged with the co-accused, along with the chats with the complainant, were recovered and extracted from the applicant's mobile phone, which was seized in accordance with law. The investigation has further revealed the applicant's involvement in the fraudulent transactions and as many as 39 cybercrime complaints relating to the defrauded amount have been registered on the National Cyber Crime 4 Reporting Portal by victims from different States. In view of the gravity of the offence, the material collected during the course of investigation, and the prima facie involvement of the applicant, it is prayed that the application for grant of bail be rejected. 5. I have heard learned counsel for the parties, perused the case diary, the material available on record, and the affidavit filed by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Ambikapur, District Surguja. 6. The allegations against the applicant pertain to a serious case of large-scale online financial fraud involving transactions amounting to ₹2,96,45,385/-. The material collected during the course of investigation, including the memorandum statement of the co- accused, the WhatsApp chat records exchanged between the applicant and the co-accused regarding account details and commission, the chats recovered from the applicant's mobile phone, and the seizure effected during the investigation, prima facie indicate the applicant's involvement in the commission of the alleged offence. The affidavit filed by the Senior Superintendent of Police also supports the prosecution case regarding the applicant's role in facilitating the fraudulent transactions. The submission advanced on behalf of the applicant that he is not named in the FIR and that there was delay in lodging the FIR are matters which can be examined during the course of trial and, by themselves, do not persuade this Court to enlarge the applicant on bail at this stage. The filing of a no-objection by the 5 complainant is also not determinative, considering the nature of the allegations and the impact of the alleged offence on numerous victims. It is also significant that the investigation has revealed 39 cybercrime complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal by victims from different States in relation to the defrauded amount, indicating the wide ramifications of the alleged offence. Considering the gravity and nature of the accusations, the prima facie material available on record, the magnitude of the alleged financial fraud and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, this Court is of the considered opinion that no case for grant of regular bail is made out. Accordingly, the bail application preferred by the applicant, Ujjwal Dongre, in connection with Crime No. 695/2025 registered at Police Station –Gandhinagar, Ambikapur, District- Surguja (C.G.) for the offence punishable under Sections 317(4), 318(4) and 61(2) of BNS, 2023, deserves to be and is hereby rejected at this stage. 7. Needless to say that the trial Court concerned is at liberty to proceed and conclude the trial expeditiously. 8. The Office is directed to provide a certified copy of this order to the trial Court for necessary information and compliance forthwith. Sd/- (Ramesh Sinha) CHIEF JUSTICE Ruchi