Anoop Alias Anup Vs State of Haryana (Punjab And Haryana High Court)
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted regular bail to Anoop alias Anup, a petitioner in a high-profile cybercrime case involving a “digital arrest” scam. The court’s decision came after considering the petitioner’s six-month and 14-day pre-trial custody period and the principle that pre-trial incarceration should not be a form of punishment. While acknowledging the serious nature of the allegations, the court concluded there was no justification for the petitioner’s continued detention at this stage.
The case stems from an FIR registered on November 27, 2024, at the Cyber Crime Hansi Police Station in Haryana, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. The complainant, a 78-year-old advocate named Raj Kumar Vats, submitted a written application alleging he had been the victim of an online fraud. The details of the scam reveal a sophisticated and multi-layered deception.
According to the complainant’s statement, the fraud began on November 19, 2024, with a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. The caller initially identified himself as an official and informed the advocate that a parcel from Malaysia, intended for him, had been intercepted by the Bombay Customs Department and was found to contain narcotic substances. The complainant denied any connection to the parcel.
