Mumbai: The Bombay high court denied pre-arrest bail to a bank staffer, stating that returning the money does not mean the crime has ended. “The crime was already committed, and she is aware of her guilt and has admitted her guilt,” said the high court when the accused, a woman, sought protection against arrest.
The bank is in a remote part of Maharashtra, and the money belonged to poor people—shopkeepers and local villagers with a meagre income—whom she took advantage of, the high court’s single judge bench of Justice Rajesh Patil said. Besides, her custodial interrogation is needed to unearth others who could be involved, the judge added in a March 13 order.
The Saswad police station, Pune, registered an FIR this year where the bank staff, Sheetal Deshmukh, was accused of allegedly misappropriating Rs 46.5 lakh. The high court wanted her to explain in whose account the entire amount was transferred and how she returned the amount with interest.
The manager of Sadhana Sahakari Bank, Saswad Branch, lodged the FIR. It alleged that Deshmukh, “On the pretext of collecting money from the customers, issued bogus receipts and even managed to close the FDs of customers to siphon off the entire money.” It was during an audit that the bank said the “fraud” came to light, and afraid of being caught, she returned the money with interest.
A sessions court rejected her plea for relief on Feb 25, 2025. She thus approached the high court. The state prosecutor opposed any relief to her, arguing that it was only because of the audit that the offence was unearthed; otherwise, it could have led to a greater loss to the bank. The woman said she has a child to take care of, as one of the grounds to protect her from arrest, apart from the fact that there is no recovery due to the bank since she returned the money and showed her “bona fides.” The high court said her “unemployed” husband was in a position to look after their child, hence found no merit on that ground in her plea.
The high court said the woman last Sept, in her own handwritten letter, “admitted her guilt that she issued bogus receipts to the customers of the bank by accepting monies from them and siphoning off those monies.” Justice Patil said, “The monies lying in the bank is public money. The applicant, by committing the present crime, committed the crime not only against the customers and bank but also against the govt by siphoning off the monies.”
The high court also said she may tamper with witnesses and hamper the forensic audit and probe. It said the bank staff herself said she used the money since July 4, but it could even be prior to that. The high court said her plea lacked merit and rejected it.
Mumbai: The Bombay high court denied pre-arrest bail to a bank staffer, stating that returning the money does not mean the crime has ended. “The crime was already committed, and she is aware of her guilt and has admitted her guilt,” said the high court when the accused, a woman, sought protection against arrest.
The bank is in a remote part of Maharashtra, and the money belonged to poor people—shopkeepers and local villagers with a meagre income—whom she took advantage of, the high court’s single judge bench of Justice Rajesh Patil said. Besides, her custodial interrogation is needed to unearth others who could be involved, the judge added in a March 13 order.
The Saswad police station, Pune, registered an FIR this year where the bank staff, Sheetal Deshmukh, was accused of allegedly misappropriating Rs 46.5 lakh. The high court wanted her to explain in whose account the entire amount was transferred and how she returned the amount with interest.
The manager of Sadhana Sahakari Bank, Saswad Branch, lodged the FIR. It alleged that Deshmukh, “On the pretext of collecting money from the customers, issued bogus receipts and even managed to close the FDs of customers to siphon off the entire money.” It was during an audit that the bank said the “fraud” came to light, and afraid of being caught, she returned the money with interest.
A sessions court rejected her plea for relief on Feb 25, 2025. She thus approached the high court. The state prosecutor opposed any relief to her, arguing that it was only because of the audit that the offence was unearthed; otherwise, it could have led to a greater loss to the bank. The woman said she has a child to take care of, as one of the grounds to protect her from arrest, apart from the fact that there is no recovery due to the bank since she returned the money and showed her “bona fides.” The high court said her “unemployed” husband was in a position to look after their child, hence found no merit on that ground in her plea.
The high court said the woman last Sept, in her own handwritten letter, “admitted her guilt that she issued bogus receipts to the customers of the bank by accepting monies from them and siphoning off those monies.” Justice Patil said, “The monies lying in the bank is public money. The applicant, by committing the present crime, committed the crime not only against the customers and bank but also against the govt by siphoning off the monies.”
The high court also said she may tamper with witnesses and hamper the forensic audit and probe. It said the bank staff herself said she used the money since July 4, but it could even be prior to that. The high court said her plea lacked merit and rejected it.