Court grants bail to nine accused in USD 15 million transnational cyber fraud case

In a significant development, the Rouse Avenue court on Thursday, September 5, granted bail to nine individuals involved in a transnational cyber fraud case linked to a $15 million scam targeting U.S. citizens. The accused, Dhruv Khattar, Ritesh Kumar, Ravindra Gupta, Hazim Imtiyaz, Mir Gazanfar Gul, Arpit Singh Chatwal, Mayank Verma, Yashu Prasad, and Abhishek Bisht, were granted bail by Special CBI Judge Amitabh Rawat.

The bail was allowed upon the submission of a bail bond of ₹50,000 and a surety of the same amount. The court noted that all charges were magistrate triable and that the accused had been in custody since July 24, 2024.

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This case originated from a larger investigation conducted in July, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested 43 individuals from a call center in Gurugram, allegedly involved in defrauding U.S. citizens.

While considering the bail applications, the court emphasized that the accused were young, had no prior criminal record, and posed no apparent flight risk. Additionally, the judge noted that there was no evidence suggesting that the accused would tamper with the ongoing investigation. Since the case is primarily based on documentary evidence and digital devices have already been confiscated, the court found no reason to keep the accused in prolonged custody. 

The case continues to unfold as investigations into the broader fraud scheme are ongoing.