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A sessions court in Ahmedabad has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Ashok Sankhala, an accused in the ₹11.42-crore cyber-fraud case in which a retired St Xavier’s College professor and her husband were allegedly kept under digital arrest for 80 days and coerced into transferring their entire savings.
Additional Sessions Judge P B Patel observed that cyber-fraud cases are rising sharply and that custodial interrogation of the accused is necessary for a fair and thorough investigation.
Citing the seriousness of the offence, the court held that Sankhala cannot be granted pre-arrest bail.
According to the prosecution, cybercriminals trapped the couple in prolonged video calls, threatening them using the names of agencies like the CBI, FEMA, RBI and RAW, and falsely accusing them of money-laundering offences.
Under fear and pressure, the couple shared details of their bank accounts, investments and mutual funds.
The accused allegedly provided their own bank account numbers and forced the couple to transfer all their funds, assuring them the money would be returned with interest after a probe.
Investigators say a bank account was opened in Mumbai under the name Vishwa Global Charitable Trust to route the fraud money.
The state’s Public Prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt strongly opposed the bail request, stressing the need to interrogate the accused in custody to trace the money trail and identify other conspirators.