Multi-Lakh Cheating Case: Srinagar Court rejects pre-arrest bail of two brothers

Srinagar, June 10: In a high-profile real estate fraud case, the Court of Additional Sessions Judge Srinagar Tuesday rejected the anticipatory bail applications of two accused persons involved in an alleged cheating case.
The accused are alleged to have defrauded multiple individuals by collecting large sums of money in the name of selling residential plots without delivering any land, with the total embezzled amount running into lakhs of rupees. The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Bhat, has rejected the anticipatory bail applications of two brothers Sheikh Ghulam Jeelani and Sheikh Showkat Ahmad, both sons of Sheikh Ghulam Qadir and residents of Malla Bagh, Ellahi Bagh, Srinagar. The case stems from a complaint lodged by one Abdul Rahman Bhat at Police Station Rajbagh, alleging that he had been defrauded of Rs 24 lakh. According to the police report, Bhat came across an advertisement by M/s Taramount Estates Limited offering small residential plots in various locations across Kashmir. Believing the offer to be genuine, he visited the company’s office at Jawahar Nagar and paid the amount against proper receipts.
However, no land was handed over to him, nor was his money returned, leading to the registration of FIR No. 66/2022 under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for cheating. The investigation revealed that the accused Ghulam Qadir, his sons Ghulam Jeelani and Showkat Ahmad, along with Shaista Ali were involved in the fraudulent scheme. Police further uncovered that the accused and their family had allegedly deceived several other individuals in a similar manner, promising plots and taking large sums of money in return. In some cases, the accused had issued cheques, which only corroborated the complainant’s claim of financial transactions involving the accused, who were identified as directors of the company. Police submitted that although the investigation is complete, the accused brothers are absconding and have been evading arrest, despite ongoing efforts to trace them. While hearing the matter, Judge Farooq Ahmad Bhat observed that the petitioners are accused in a serious case involving financial fraud amounting to over Rs 24 lakh, and the actual scale of the scam could be much larger, as more complaints of a similar nature are pending. The judge noted that granting pre-arrest bail at this stage could obstruct the investigation, particularly as two more accused have yet to be brought into the investigative net. The court remarked, “The petitioners and their parents, after collecting huge sums from multiple victims, allegedly shut down their offices, thereby clearly indicating a premeditated intention to cheat. Custodial interrogation is essential not only to ensure recovery of the embezzled funds but also to unravel the full scope of the scam.” Additionally, the judge highlighted that the matter is also pending before the High Court through Writ Petition No. 2264/2024, which further underscores its gravity. Finding no merit in the anticipatory bail plea, Judge Bhat dismissed the petition, clearing the way for the arrest of the two accused brothers in connection with the ongoing investigation.