Ahmedabad Court Denies Bail To Two Accused In 11 Debit Card Swap Cases

An Additional Sessions Court in Ahmedabad has rejected the bail applications of Ravi Hoshiyarsing Kumar and Sanjay Premsing Saini, accused in 11 cases involving the alleged swapping of genuine debit cards with dummy cards after obtaining victims’ PINs at ATMs.

Additional Sessions Judge J.I. Patel rejected the pleas, observing that the accused allegedly targeted people who were unfamiliar with using debit cards and committed multiple offences for financial gain.

Accused Allegedly Stole PINs Under Guise Of Helping

According to the prosecution, the accused would stand behind victims at bank ATMs and offer assistance while they were using their debit cards.

They allegedly observed and obtained the victims’ PINs under the pretext of helping them. While engaging the victims in conversation, they would allegedly swap the genuine debit card with a dummy card before fleeing.

The accused allegedly later used the genuine cards to withdraw money from other ATMs. The cases involve alleged withdrawals totalling around ₹1.50 lakh.

Defence Claims Accused Were Falsely Implicated

In their bail applications, the accused denied the allegations and claimed they had no direct or indirect involvement in the offences.

The defence argued that the initial police complaints referred to the offenders as unknown persons and that the accused were subsequently implicated despite there being no evidence directly connecting them to the crimes.

The accused therefore sought bail in the interest of justice.

Prosecution Cites 11 Cases, Risk Of Absconding

Chief Public Prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt opposed the bail pleas, describing the allegations as serious.

He argued that the accused had allegedly committed around 11 similar offences involving debit card swapping and withdrawal of money.

The prosecution further submitted that the accused would allegedly flee to Haryana after committing offences and later return to carry out similar crimes. There was therefore a strong possibility that they could abscond if released on bail, the prosecutor argued.

Court Rejects Bail

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court noted the seriousness and number of offences registered against the accused.

Considering the allegations that victims were targeted while using ATMs and that their genuine cards were allegedly swapped after obtaining their PINs, the court found it inappropriate to release the two accused on bail.

The bail applications of Ravi Hoshiyarsing Kumar and Sanjay Premsing Saini were rejected.