Soni Devi v. The State Of Bihar
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.31272 of 2025 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-475 Year-2024 Thana- PIRPAINTI District- Bhagalpur ====================================================== Soni Devi, W/o Binod Rai @ Vinod Roy, R/o Vill - Basantpur, P.S. - Pirpainti, Distt.- Bhagalpur ... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
The State of Bihar ... ... Opposite Party/s ====================================================== Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s :
Mr. Baijnath Sah, Adv.
For the Opposite Party/s :
Mr. Jai Narain Thakur, APP ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SHAILENDRA SINGH ORAL ORDER 13-08-2025 Heard Mr. Baijnath Sah, learned counsel for the petitioner and Mr. Jai Narain Thakur, learned APP for the State.
2. Petitioner seeks regular bail in connection with Pirpainti P.S. Case No. 475 of 2024 dated 01.10.2024 registered for the offences punishable under sections 420 and 406 read with section 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
3. As per the prosecution story, the informant, along with 25 other women, is associated with a group and this petitioner persuaded the informant and other female members to take loans from the bank and invest the amount with her, assuring them of good returns, however, the petitioner, in connivance with various finance companies and bank employees, allegedly cheated all the members of the group as well as some other women by misappropriating around Rs. 50 to 60 lakhs, which had been given to her based on her assurances.
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.31272 of 2025(3) dt.13-08-2025 2/3
4. The main submissions advanced by petitioner's counsel are that as per the FIR, the alleged occurrence with the informant took place in the year 2021 but she filed the FIR in the year 2024 and the allegation of misappropriation of Rs. 50 to 60 lakhs is mainly against the concerned bank employees and finance companies and the petitioner is a lady, having fair and clean antecedent and has been languishing in jail since 21.12.2024.
5. Learned APP for the State has opposed the prayer of the petitioner.
6. Heard both the sides and perused the FIR and the case diary of this case. The instant matter relates to serious cheating allegedly committed with 34 women by this petitioner in collusion with bank employees and finance companies and allegedly this petitioner persuaded the victims to take loans from the bank and assured them to give good return on their loan amounts if the sanctioned loan amounts were given to her and thereafter, she would invest the loan amount and upon believing the petitioner, the informant signed on loan papers and thereafter, the loan in the name of the informant was sanctioned and the same was used by the petitioner on the pretext of investing in business and in the FIR, there is details of all the
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.31272 of 2025(3) dt.13-08-2025 3/3 victim ladies as well as the details of the loan sanctioned, considering the seriousness of the allegations of cheating appearing against this petitioner, this Court is not inclined to release her on bail. Accordingly, her prayer stands rejected. (Shailendra Singh, J) annu/- U T