HC denies bail to woman accused of abducting, robbing man on pretext of finalising bitcoin trade deal

The Delhi High Court has denied bail to a woman who allegedly abducted two men and robbed them of Rs 36 lakh on the pretext of finalising a deal in bitcoin trade.

The court said that in view of the seriousness and gravity of the offence, no grounds for bail are made out and dismissed the plea. The accused, 32-year-old Krishma Rajput, is in judicial custody since September 2017.

"The record, prima facie, reveals that petitioner (woman) has played an active role in the commission of the alleged offence. She has refused to participate in the TIP (test identification parade) before the link metropolitan magistrate," Justice Brijesh Sethi said.

Bitcoin is a digital currency that allows people to buy goods and services and exchange money without involving banks, credit card issuers or other third parties.

According to the prosecution, complainant Hitesh deals in Bitcoin trade. On April 7, 2017, he along with a friend had gone for a deal at V3S Mall in Laxmi Nagar here after receiving a call from Krishma Rajput, it said.

The police alleged when the complainant and his friend reached there, the woman along with her associates abducted them at gunpoint and took them to an apartment in Vaishali in Ghaziabad and robbed him of Rs 36 lakh.

During the investigation, four other accused -- Karamvir Singh, Devendra Chauhan, Sandeep Chauhan and Kunal Sharma -- were arrested and recoveries were made at their instance. According to the prosecution, the accused persons used to cheat their targets using fake voter ID Cards and Permanent Account Number (PAN).

Rajput sought bail saying she is a single parent with a minor son and an aged mother. She submitted that till October 16, 2019, even the cross examination of complainant has not been completed and there are 35 witnesses and seven undertrials and it will take long time to conclude the trial.

Claiming that nothing incriminating has been recovered either from her possession or at her instance and the allegations against her are false and baseless, the woman and prayed that she be released on bail.

The prosecutor opposed the bail application on the ground that allegations against her are serious in nature and she along with her associates has abducted the complainant at gunpoint and robbed him of Rs 36 lakh.

The court, while dismissing the bail plea, said the offence allegedly committed by the woman along with her associates is serious in nature and the call detail records confirmed her location.

It noted that the complainant and his friend, who are material witnesses in the case, are yet to be examined.