Kerala HC dismisses advance bail plea of Naushad

Kochi: Kerala high court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail petition of T.P. Naushad of Chevayoor, an accused in four cheating cases, who is  a relative of CPM leader and former minister Elamaram Karim.

Justice Thomas P. Joseph said the case needed further investigation and hence was dismissing the plea. He asked the probe agency to make a thorough investigation.

Senior government pleader C. Rasheed, while opposing the plea, submitted that the investigating agency had got only a few days for the probe due to an earlier stay granted in this regard by the court.

Section 420 (cheating), 406 ( criminal breach of trust) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC were used to register cases. 

However, Naushad had approached the High Court seeking to quash the criminal cases of cheating and the court granted stay on all proceedings.

Though, in a reversal of decision they were dismissed, the police did not get enough time to investigate the case, the government pleader said.

He also said that custodial interrogation of the petitioner was essential in the case.

The accused cheated the complainants by positioning himself as the personal staff member and relative of Elamaram Karim.

The complainants are owners of quarry and Naushad cheated them by taking over their properties on the promise of giving them a share in his crusher company. The police also suspect that the accused had forged documents to form the crusher company.

Counsel for the petitioner Gopalakrishna Kurup said the complaints are in same handwriting and that it pointed to a conspiracy.