‘She only introduced them’: Court grants bail to woman in Rs 66 lakh ‘spiritual fraud’ case

4 min readNew DelhiJul 8, 2026 02:00 PM IST

The only allegation against the woman was that she had introduced the complainant to an ‘expert’ who conducted pujas that helped to resolve family issues, the judge noted. (AI-generated image)

The Madras High Court has granted bail to a woman accused in a Rs 66 lakh cheating case, observing there was no evidence that she benefited from the alleged fraud and her role appeared to be limited to introducing the complainant to a man who claimed spiritual rituals could resolve her family problems.

Justice K Rajasekar observed that if the accused flees after being released on bail, a fresh First Information Report (FIR) could be registered against her.

“The only allegation against this petitioner is that she introduced the A2 (accused man) to the de facto complainant, and as stated above, she has not benefited with the above-said alleged transactions…,” the July 6 order stated.

The complainant was facing family problems and alleged that on the accused woman’s advice, she had reached out to another person who claimed to be an expert in conducting pujas to resolve such issues.

The complainant said she approached the ‘expert’ and on his advise, handed him gold jewellery besides transferring Rs 66 lakh to him through a bank transaction. Later, she lodged a police complaint alleging that she had been cheated, following which the woman accused was arrested.

Justice K Rajasekar noted that the case diary did not contain any statement from the arrested persons.

‘Falsely implicated’

Appearing for the woman accused, advocates R Anand and S Micheal Heldon Kumar said she was innocent and was falsely implicated in the case. They added that she had not committed any offence as alleged, and sought bail.

The counsel stated that the petitioner was in custody since June 7, 2026, and was ready to abide by any condition imposed by the court. It was argued that though the petitioner was mentioned as accused 1, she had not benefited through any of the transactions allegedly carried out between the ‘expert’ and the complainant.

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Appearing for the state, advocate N Balasubramanian submitted that the prosecution’s case and the investigation in this case were pending. He pointed out that the expert had received Rs 66 lakh and the gold jewellery had not been recovered yet.

The petitioner, he said, was arrested only recently and if she was released on bail, there was every likelihood of witnesses tampering. The counsel, thus, opposed the grant of bail.

Court orders release on bail

The high court noted that the case diary did not contain any statement of the arrested persons, indicating that the police had arrested and remanded them in custody without recording it. The only allegation against the petitioner was that she had introduced the complainant to a person who claimed to be an expert in conducting pujas that helped to resolve family issues.

Since there was no evidence that she benefited from the alleged Rs 66 lakh transaction and considering the time she had already spent in custody, the court granted her bail under certain conditions.

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It ordered to release the petitioner on bail on executing a bond of Rs 15,000 with two sureties for the same amount before the judicial magistrate, Valliyoor, Tirunelveli. It additionally directed her to appear before the jurisdictional court daily on working days for three weeks, and whenever required for questioning afterwards.

The court directed that she should not commit any similar offence, abscond during investigation or trial, or influence any person connected to the case, or tamper with the evidence.

The judge added that on breach of any of the conditions, appropriate legal action would be taken against her. If the accused flees after being released on bail, a fresh FIR could be registered under Section 269 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with failure of a person released on bail or bond to appear before the court.

Somya Panwar works with the Legal Desk at The Indian Express, where she covers the various High Courts across the country and the Supreme Court of India. Her writing is driven by a deep interest in how law influences society, particularly in areas of gender, feminism, and women’s rights.

She is especially drawn to stories that examine questions of equality, autonomy, and social justice through the lens of the courts. Her work aims to make complex legal developments accessible, contextual, and relevant to everyday readers, with a focus on explaining what court decisions mean beyond legal jargon and how they shape public life.

Alongside reporting, she manages the social media presence for Indian Express Legal, where she designs and curates posts using her understanding of digital trends, audience behaviour, and visual communication. Combining legal insight with strategic content design, she works on building engagement and expanding the desk’s digital reach.

Somya holds a B.A. LL.B and a Master’s degree in Journalism. Before moving fully into media, she gained experience in litigation and briefly worked in corporate, giving her reporting a strong foundation. ... Read More

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fraud case

Madras High Court