J-K EOW files chargesheet in absentia against Bihar man in cheating case

Srinagar, Dec 30 (PTI) The Economic Offences Wing of Crime Branch has submitted a chargesheet in absentia against a Bihar resident before a court in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district in connection with a fraud case.
    A case was registered based on a written complaint which alleged that a company, True Dreams Project India Pvt Ltd (TDPI), through its director Ranjeet Prasad, conducted a recruitment campaign and selected 1,300 trainees in Kashmir, a spokesperson of the Economic Offences Wing said.
    The trainees alleged that they were promised a monthly salary ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 12,000, but were instead required to deposit a registration fee of Rs 2,400 per person, he said.
    The TDPI collected the registration fee but paid no salary to the trainees.
    "During investigation, it was prima facie established that the company allegedly defrauded several innocent students on the pretext of providing them tuition and employment opportunities," the spokesperson said.
    He said the acts and omissions on part of the accused disclose offences punishable under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property or valuable security) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
    "The investigation, supported by both oral and documentary evidence, has been concluded as proved against the accused Ranjeet Prasad," the spokesperson added.
    He said that as the accused failed to cooperate with the investigating agency and could not be traced at his given address at Gopalganj in Bihar, the chargesheet was submitted in absentia by initiating proceedings under Section 512 of Criminal Procedure Code, which allows a court to record witness testimonies in the absence of an absconding accused.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)