Routhu Sai Kondala Rao @ Sai Vs State of Andhra Pradesh (Andhra Pradesh High Court)
The Andhra Pradesh High Court granted anticipatory bail to the petitioner in a case involving UPI fraud, benami, and hawala transactions. The case, registered under Crime No. 4 of 2025 by the Cyber Crime Police Station, Visakhapatnam, involves allegations of illegal betting and financial transactions amounting to crores of rupees. The petitioner was charged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology Act, and the Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act. The court considered the petitioner’s plea under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which allows the High Court to prevent abuse of legal procedures and ensure justice.
The prosecution’s case was based on a police raid conducted on January 6, 2025, at a flat in Visakhapatnam, where multiple accused, including the petitioner, were allegedly involved in online and offline betting. During the raid, law enforcement officials discovered substantial evidence, including suspicious transactions from mobile phones linked to the accused. The investigation revealed significant amounts of money being routed through multiple bank accounts via UPI, with potential connections to benami and hawala operations. However, the petitioner contended that his involvement was based solely on the confessional statement of another accused (A3), and he was falsely implicated in the case.
