Chandigarh | The Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused to grant relief to the accused in a cyber fraud case involving more than ₹40 lakh, where a businessman was allegedly cheated through a fake steel supply offer circulated on social media. The court observed that the preliminary material collected during the investigation suggested that the accused might be part of a larger online fraud network operating across several states. On this basis, the court dismissed a petition seeking quashing of the case and the chargesheet.
During the hearing, the court noted that the allegations were serious in nature and the facts gathered during the investigation established a prima facie case. It said judicial interference at this stage was not appropriate and the final determination of the allegations would be made by the trial court after examining the evidence presented during the trial.
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The case came to light following a complaint lodged by a businessman from Kurukshetra in Haryana. According to the complaint, he came across a Facebook advertisement offering steel wire material at discounted prices. The advertisement claimed that the material could be purchased directly from a reputed steel company and promised special rates on bulk orders.
The complainant contacted the phone number mentioned in the advertisement. The person who answered the call introduced himself as a sales officer of the company and assured the businessman that a large consignment of steel wire could be supplied. After negotiations, the businessman agreed to place an order for around 40 tonnes of steel wire.
Investigators later found that the accused persuaded the complainant to transfer payments in multiple stages. Initially, about ₹21.20 lakh was transferred through RTGS for the first order of 40 tonnes of steel wire. Subsequently, the accused allegedly convinced the businessman to increase the order by offering additional material at attractive prices. Under this pretext, another ₹14.51 lakh was transferred.
The fraudsters then claimed that more steel material could be supplied and persuaded the complainant to make yet another payment. In the third transaction, around ₹5.10 lakh was transferred to the bank account provided by the accused. In total, the businessman transferred ₹40,82,272 to the account shared by the alleged representatives.
However, the situation changed soon after the payments were made. According to the complainant, the accused gradually stopped responding to phone calls and the promised steel consignment was never delivered. After repeated attempts to contact them failed, the businessman realised that he had been cheated and filed a complaint.
During the investigation, it also emerged that the accused and their associates had allegedly created a fake Facebook page posing as representatives of a steel company. Through this page, they targeted traders and small business owners across the country. By advertising bulk supply of steel material at discounted prices, they allegedly lured victims into transferring advance payments and later cut off all communication.
Preliminary findings also suggested that the accused had been linked to several similar cyber fraud cases in other states. Cases with a comparable modus operandi have reportedly been registered in Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Punjab, indicating the possibility of an organised cyber fraud network operating across multiple regions.
On these grounds, accused Raushan Kumar and another individual had approached the high court seeking quashing of the chargesheet and criminal proceedings against them. They argued that there was insufficient evidence against them and claimed they had been falsely implicated during the investigation.
The court, however, rejected these arguments after examining the records and the findings of the investigation. It observed that the material collected during the probe pointed to the seriousness of the allegations and that the exact role of the accused could only be determined during the course of the trial.
The court also noted that multiple cases of a similar nature had reportedly been registered against the accused, suggesting that they could be habitual offenders. Under such circumstances, the court held that it would not be appropriate to terminate the proceedings at this stage and that the trial must continue in accordance with the law.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
