‘Habitual cheat’ lies about rap sheet, pre-arrest bail denied | Mumbai News

Mumbai: Observing that the case is an example of a fraudster repeatedly cheating innocent people with various promises and that he played fraud on the court by falsely claiming he had no criminal antecedents, a sessions court on Tuesday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of a dismissed branch manager of a public sector bank accused of cheating a man of Rs 27 lakh in 2023 after offering to use his influence to procure loans for him.The judge said the tendency to mislead, make false statements and grab orders is dangerous for the administration of justice and cannot be taken lightly. “If such instances are allowed to be repeated, the very base of the [judicial] system will be shaken.”The application stated that the accused, Prabhakar Aglawe (59), had “at no point of time… been prosecuted”, but the investigating officer’s detailed response providing details of other FIRs lodged against him nailed his lie. Public prosecutor Ramesh Siroya said eight other cases are pending against him under various sections of BNS and Prevention of Money Laundering Act.Subsequently, Aglawe’s advocate moved an application to amend the bail plea, claiming the false clause was “inadvertently printed”. The judge, however, expressed strong disapproval at this claim. “It cannot be believed that the draft of the bail application was filed by the advocate without reading the clauses or the contents therein,” said the judge. The judge said filing a bail plea is not a formality and such casualness was unacceptable. “The advocate not only mentioned the clause in the application but also pressed for interim orders, and relying on the submissions, interim relief was granted.”The judge held that prima facie, an offence has been made out and that the accused has no explanation for the money he received. “From the dates of his previous crimes, he appears to be habituated to cheat people. When it is so, no pre-arrest bail can be granted.”Aglawe was sacked from his bank job a few years ago.The complainant, M K Nandkumar, said he was introduced in 2009 to Aglawe, who portrayed himself as a former banker and loan facilitator. Aglawe allegedly promised him in March 2023 that he would on payment of a sum arrange a business loan through his “good contacts with high-ranking banking officers”. He allegedly induced Nandkumar to transfer Rs 27 lakh in instalments till May 2023. The prosecution said Nandkumar’s bank statement showed the transfers. Aglawe’s advocate claimed that the sum was transferred as part of a business agreement.