IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH

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CRM-M No.11881 of 2026 Date of decision : 30.3.2026 Date of uploading : 01.04.2026 Lovejot Kaur ………….Petitioner Versus State of Punjab and another …….Respondents CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SUMEET GOEL Present: Ms. Sunita Nambiar, Advocate, for Mr. Balkar Singh, Advocate, for the petitioner Mr. Baljinder Singh Sra, Addl. AG, Punjab Mr. Vijay Rana, Advocate and Ms. Shreya Rana, Advocate, for the complainant ---

SUMEET GOEL, J. (ORAL)

1. Apprehending his arrest in FIR No.200 dated 30.12.2024, under Sections 406 and 420 of IPC and Section 13 of Punjab Travel Professional (Regulation) Act, 2014, registered at Police Station Cantt. Jalandhar, District Police Commissionerate, Jalandhar, the petitioner has preferred this petition under Section 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, seeking pre-arrest bail.

2. The gravamen of the FIR in question is that the complainant Ranjodh Singh has moved a complaint against 5 accused, namely Balkar Singh (was working in PAP, Jalandhar), his wife Kuldip Kaur, his daughter Lovejot Kaur (petitioner herein), Harwinder Kaur and Sandeep Kaur alleging therein that these persons in conspiracy with each other cheated his son Sahibjot Singh and daughter Jaspreet Kaur to the tune of ₹18,15,220/- for sending them abroad i.e. Canada on work permit, 3. Learned counsel for the petitioner has argued that the petitioner has been falsely implicated into the FIR in question. Learned counsel has further argued that the petitioner has not got any money from the complainant. Learned counsel has further submitted that main accused (father of the petitioner) Balkar Singh has expired. Learned counsel has further submitted that the complainant got transferred ₹5 lakhs in the account of co-accused Harwinder Kaur (mother of the petitioner), and she has already been granted the concession of anticipatory bail by a Coordinate Bench of this Court vide order dated 24.4.2025 passed in CRM-M No.21582 of 2025. Learned counsel has further submitted that the parties have settled the matter amicably (copy of which has been appended alongwith the present petition as Annexure P-3 dated 29.8.2025). Thus, the petitioner be given the concession of anticipatory bail.

4. Learned State counsel has filed reply by way of affidavit of Dhanpreet Kaur, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, in Court today. The same be kept on record. Relevant portion of the said reply reads thus :

“(A) Role of the petitioner:

Petitioner, in connivance with co-accused Balkar Singh and others, allured the complainant (respondent no.2) and his family on the false pretext of sending his son and daughter abroad on work permit to Canada, induced them to part with huge amounts of money, received substantial payments directly in her own bank account, facilitated further transfers to co-accused and participated throughout in the fraudulent scheme, thereby playing a direct and instrumental role in cheating the complainant (respondent no.2) of an amount to the tune of approximately Rs.

18,15,220/-.

(B) Evidence against the petitioner:

i) Statement of the complainant (respondent No.2).

ii) Direct monetary transactions in petitioner's account:

During Investigation, it has come on record that substantial amounts including Rs.1,95,000/- and further amounts (Rs.4 lakh + Rs.1 lakh on 29.04.2024) were transferred directly into the bank account of the petitioner, establishing her direct financial involvement.

iii) Role in facilitating further payments: Petitioner actively instructed the complainant (respondent No.2) to transfer Rs.5 lakh into the account of co-accused Harvinder Kaur and other amounts towards alleged processing, embassy and medical fees, thereby acting as a key link in the transaction chain.

iv) Non-fulfilment of promise and retention of money: Despite receiving huge amounts, neither any visa nor work permit was arranged, nor was the money returned, which clearly establishes dishonest intention from incept