Times News NetworkKanpur: The additional sessions judge on Friday rejected the bail application of accused Deepak Verma, arrested by the Chakeri police for allegedly cheating an elderly man of around Rs 16 lakh through fraudulent investment schemes and cyber fraud. A case was registered against him under Sections 318 (4), 338, 336 (3) and 340 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act.The complainant, Raj Narayan Singh, had approached the police commissioner on March 26, 2026, alleging that Verma, who lived in his locality, had claimed that he could help him earn returns by investing in govt schemes and bank deposits. Trusting him, Singh allegedly paid Rs 3.5 lakh in instalments, while his son, Charanjeet, gave him Rs 2.81 lakh to purchase a vehicle to be used as a goods carrier. Verma later persuaded Singh to deposit around 50 grams of gold in a bank in return for 12% interest, but allegedly took the gold without depositing it.The accused subsequently advised Singh to invest in fixed deposits. Acting on his advice, Singh deposited Rs 6.83 lakh through three FDRs at HDFC Bank’s Fatehpur branch. When Charanjeet approached the bank to redeem one of the deposits, officials informed him that all three FDRs had already been cashed by Verma, who provided his own mobile number for the two accounts.The complainant also alleged that an FDR receipt for Rs 2.83 lakh was fake as the amount had never been deposited. When he enquired about his gold, the bank officials reportedly said that no gold had been deposited. He later approached Punjab National Bank branch where he held his original account and was informed that the money had been siphoned off through cyber fraud.The defence counsel argued that Verma, who worked as a goldsmith, was innocent. He claimed that he used to purchase daily necessities from the complainant’s shop and that the FIR was lodged after he stopped making purchases there.However, assistant district govt counsel Sanjay Jha, strongly opposing the bail plea, argued that the accused had cheated an elderly man of around Rs 15 lakh and that sufficient evidence of cheating and cyber fraud had emerged during the investigation.Judge AK Tiwari observed that the investigation revealed that the deputy manager of HDFC Bank’s Fatehpur branch had stated that the money was withdrawn through UPI transactions linked to mobile number 9839915533, which belonged to the accused.As there was a possibility of the accused tampering with evidence if released on bail, considering the serious nature of the offences and the punishment they could attract, the court rejected the bail application, the judge observed in his order.As there was a possibility of the accused tampering with evidence if released on bail. Considering the serious nature of the offences and the punishment they could attract, the court rejected the bail application,the judge observed in his order.
