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IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Reserved on: 6^th March, 2025 Pronounced on: 10 t h March, 2025 1. CRM-M-53049-2024 Harjit Kaur ...Petitioner Versus State of Punjab ...Respondent

2. CRM-M-3980-2025 Gurmeet Singh ...Petitioner Versus State of Punjab ...Respondent

3. CRM-M-4660-2025 Harmeet Singh and another ...Petitioners Versus State of Punjab ...Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE MANISHA BATRA Present: Ms. Harpreet Kaur, Advocate for the petitioner.

(in CRM-M-53049-2024)

Mr. Gopal Sharma, Advocate for the petitioners.

(in CRM-M-3980-2025 and CRM-M-4660-2025).

Ms. Sakshi Bakshi, Assistant Advocate General, Punjab.

Mr. Raghav Soni, Advocate for the complainant.

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MANISHA BATRA, J :-

This order shall dispose of the aforementioned petitions filed by the petitioners for grant of regular bail in case arising out of FIR No. 71 dated 20.07.2024 registered under Sections 406, 465 and 120-B of IPC (Sections 467 and 468 of IPC added later on) at Police Station Maqboolpura, District Amritsar.

2. Brief facts of the case relevant for the purpose of disposal of these petitions are that the aforementioned FIR was registered on the basis of complaint lodged by the complainant Ranjit Singh, on the allegations that he was running business of sale and purchase of gold ornaments under the name and style of T.R. &Sons Jewellers. The petitioners, who are members of the same family are related to the complainant. Sometime back, they induced the complainant and his sons to give gold ornaments to them on credit basis by representing that they would further sell the same and would share profit with the complainant and would also return unsold gold ornaments back to him. Believing them, the complainant started giving gold ornaments to the petitioners. Gradually, they earned the trust of the complainant by honouring the transactions so made.

3. As further alleged, on 23.05.2024, the petitioner-accused Gurmeet Singh along with his sons i.e. petitioners Harmeet Singh @ Lucky and Harvinder Singh and wife Harjeet Kaur came to the house of the complainant and by representing that they had received a big order for sale of gold ornaments in which the complainant would also fetch huge profit, they took gold jewellery items of different types weighing 1290.640 grams

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and having worth of approximately Rs. 93,00,000/- from the complainant. They also made the complainant talk to accused Sarabjit Singh (Son of accused Gurmeet Singh) over mobile phone who also represented that he had some customers who were waiting for the jewellery at that time. The petitioners had assured to give back the unsold jewellery and profits within two days. Subsequently, they told the complainant that gold ornaments so given by him, had been confiscated by custom department from accused Sarabjeet. They even showed a receipt purported to be issued by custom department regarding confiscation of gold. However, the complainant subsequently came to know that no such confiscation had been made and infact, the accused Sarabjit Singh who is now absconding along with the petitioners had created a false story to cheat the complainant and to misappropriate the gold jewellery given by the complainant.

4. After registration of FIR, investigation were initiated. During investigation, the petitioners were arrested on 23.08.2024. They admitted their involvement in commission of the subject offences and disclosed that out of the gold ornaments weighing 1293.640 grams as received from the complainant, they had given gold ornaments 763.66 grams to accused Sarabjit Singh for selling and the remaining gold ornaments weighing 530.680 grams were sold to some unknown person and they had taken one gold biscuit weighing 277.54 grams and cash amount of Rs. 15,00,000/- from that person out of which cash amount of Rs. 4,50,000/-was with them, whereas, the remaining amount was spent. On the basis of disclosure statement of accused Harmeet Singh, the gold biscuit weighing 277.54

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grams and cash amount of