Canadians in ATM fraud denied bail

Justiice S Vaidyanathan rejected their plea on the ground that their intention could be to escape out of India from West Bengal. They had also suppressed the fact that a criminal case was pending against them in Chennai, when the matter was heard by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bangaon. There was also a look-out notice for the accused, who were caught while trying to withdraw money from ATM. 

However, the judge on observing that as serious allegations were made in regard to ATM fraud, said: “This court expects the trial court to take up the case and dispose of the same on day-to-day basis and shall not adjourn the matter beyond two working days at any point of time and bring the issue to a logical conclusion, preferably within a period of three months.” 

The case of the prosecution was that there were as many as six accused, and Sugananthan, Muralitharan, Prakash and Chandra Mohan were Canadian nationals. Following their arrest in 2013, they had obtained conditional bail and kept modifying it from time to time. 

Subsequently, they failed to appear and sign before the Alandur police for three days and also violated the directions regarding the place of stay and bail conditions. This led to their bail being cancelled and the High Court directed the CB-CID, Cyber Crime Cell Police, to arrest the trio who were held by the West Bengal police and remanded in Dum Dum Central Correctional Home, Kolkata. 

The prosecution had contended that since the petitioners were foreign nationals, they might leave India any time.