Mumbai: A sessions court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to a Pune man accused of cheating 22 people, including a doctor from Dharavi, of Rs 11.88 crore on the pretext of good returns on investment.
The case against the accused, Babumiya Mulla, 30, was registered on the complaint of Dr Moim Farooqui, who has a clinic in Dharavi. She alleged that her patient Nilophar Shaikh had proposed an investment scheme to her in February 2022.
Claiming to be an agent of ‘Pay World' company, Shaikh allegedly promised monthly returns ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 7,000 on an investment of Rs 1 lakh. According to the doctor, the accused told her that the firm invested in tenders and returned benefits from the resulting income.
Dr Farooqui claimed to have invested Rs 2.26 crore through Shaikh, alleging that she did not get any profit. Hence, she lodged a complaint on August 12, 2024. It was claimed that Mulla was a key person and investigation revealed that over 22 persons have been cheated.
Interestingly, Mulla’s bail plea was opposed by Shaikh, who is listed as accused number 1. Ajay Dubey, the latter's lawyer, contended that Mulla had cheated several victims, while making Shaikh a scapegoat. He argued that even the family members of Shaikh were cheated by Mulla and that she has already moved the Bombay High Court against him.
The court said, “This is a rare case wherein one of the accused is disclosing details of the wrongdoing committed by co-accused.”
Refusing to grant anticipatory bail, it observed, “Despite claims of having no connection to the transactions, Mulla has failed to offer any explanation regarding the significant sums credited to his accounts.” Probe also reveals that he allegedly siphoned money for various illegal activities, including forgery, and bought property and ornaments, the court noted.
