IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH (219)

Date of decision: 03.11.2025 Navjot Singh …... Petitioner V/s State of Punjab ...Respondent CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE JASJIT SINGH BEDI Present: Ms. Jigyasa Tanwar, Advocate, with Ms. Narender Kaur, Advocate, for the petitioner.

Mr. Harkanwar Jeet Singh, AAG, Punjab.

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JASJIT SINGH BEDI, J. (Oral)

The prayer in the present petition under Section 482 of BNSS, 2023 is for the grant of anticipatory bail to the petitioner in case FIR No.123 dated 13.07.2025 under Sections 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 351(2) and Section 61(2) of BNS, 2023 registered at Police Station Khanna, City-2, District Ludhiana.

2. The brief facts of the case are that the complainant Salil moved an application dated 26-03-2025, before the Senior Superintendent of Police, Khanna, against Jaskaran Singh son of Balwinder Singh, resident of Lalouri Kalan, Ludhiana, with the allegations of cheating, forgery, causing wrongful acts, misappropriation and breach of trust.

3. The inquiry into the said application was marked to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, (P.B.I, N.D.P.S-cum-Narcotics, Khanna). The said officer, after inquiring into the matter, submitted the report to the effect that; (i) During the inquiry, it was found that the company of the complainant Salil, namely L&T Finance Company, Ludhiana, provides loans for two-wheelers, houses, tractors, etc. The said company had appointed Jaskaran Singh on 01-06-2024 as Sales Officer at Platinum Honda Agency, Samrala, and Punjab Automobile, Samrala, for the purpose of sanctioning two-wheeler loans. The company started its ID No. 50080413 on 03-06-

2024.

(ii) As per the statement of Jaskaran Singh, Navjot Singh (petitioner), Ajay Kumar, and Simran Kaur, were already serving as sales- persons in the said company in the Khanna area. However, after Jaskaran Singh was appointed, all the said persons left their jobs with the company.

(iii) Navjot Singh, Ajay Kumar, and Simran Kaur, in connivance with each other, on 04-06-2024, called Jaskaran Singh at a tea stall situated opposite Platinum Honda Company, GT Road, Khanna, and by misusing his newly issued ID, managed to fraudulently pass loans for two-wheelers. It further came to light that OTPs sent to the mobile phones of fake customers were also obtained by them.

(iv) During the course of the inquiry, the call details and tower locations of mobile numbers of Navjot Singh (95010-61303), Ajay Kumar (98769-41408), Simran Kaur (62849-67582), and Jaskaran Singh (95174- 04418) for the period 01-06-2024 to 31-08-2024, were obtained. In addition, the company's record of Customer Application Forms (CAF) of the fake customers on whose mobile phones the OTPs were obtained, was also procured. On perusal thereof, it surfaced that:

(a) Navjot Singh obtained OTPs by using his own number 91154- 47820 and other fake numbers 97792-31408. 78376-74910, 99889-

56375, and 98559-29784.

(b) Ajay Kumar obtained OTPs by using mobile numbers 62809-

59601, 77195-60791, 99889-56375, and 70872-15539.

(c) Simran Kaur obtained OTPs by using her sister Kajal's number

87258-11872 and her mother Baljeet Kaur's number 99889-56375.

(v) The inquiry further revealed that the call detail records of the above-said persons and the CAFs of the customers whose loans were passed clearly corroborate this fact.

(vi) The inquiring officer further mentioned that Navjot Singh, Ajay Kumar, and Simran Kaur filled fake customer numbers, obtained OTP's thereon, and by further misusing Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, etc., of other persons, uploaded the same under the ID of Jaskaran Singh and passed loans thereon, thereby facilitating delivery of two-wheelers. The direct benefit of these fraudulent acts was taken by the above-named persons, and L&T Finance Company, Ludhiana, suffered a wrongful loss of Rs. 13,58,534/- up to March 2025.

(vii) The inquiry further revealed that through the ID of Jaskaran Singh, loans were fraudulently sanctioned in the names of the following 14 persons:

S