Fraudsters created fake website to dupe job seekers in J&K, arrested accused denied bail

DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
JAMMU, Dec 7
A court here has rejected the bail plea of an accused recently arrested by the cyber wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police for his alleged involvement in creating a fake website of a government department to dupe gullible job seekers.
Tahir Ahmad Bhat, who claims to be a journalist from Sarnal Payeen village of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, moved a bail application in the court of special mobile magistrate, Srinagar, Ahsan Malik on November 22.
He was among two persons arrested by the cyber police after registering a case under various sections of the Information Technology Act and Indian Penal Code following a written communication from the health and medical education department that their official website had been cloned and fake appointment orders uploaded.
Investigations revealed that the fake website was created by one Prashant Mathur of Agra and 10 unemployed youth from different parts of the Kashmir Valley were duped of their money on the pretext of getting them jobs in the health and medical education department.
“It is strange that the accused herein is a journalist by profession and is allegedly involved in the crime and is a habitual criminal and many FIRs are already registered against him. So, in no circumstances, the accused/applicant herein is entitled to concession of bail,” the magistrate said on Monday.
The court said it appeared that it was a job scam and a gang was operating not only in Jammu and Kashmir, but their kingpin out of the Union Territory with the common intention to loot the unemployed educated youth.
“There is no doubt that bail is the rule and jail is the provision. However, this principle has not to be applied blindly but is subject to various considerations and conditions.
“Bail is not something which is readily available but the accused has to establish his prima facie innocence and his non-involvement in the alleged offence committed by him,” the court said.