Nethala Rabby Krupa Raj v. The State Of Telangana
IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA
AT HYDERABAD THE HONOURABLE SMT. JUSTICE K. SUJANA CRIMINAL PETITION No.4772 of 2026 DATE: 15.04.2026 BETWEEN:
Nethala Rabby Krupa Raj ..... Petitioner/A.5 And The State of Telangana, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor for Home, High Court for the State of Telangana, Hyderabad and 2 others ..... Respondent
ORDER
This Criminal Petition is filed under Section 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short 'BNSS') for grant of prearrest bail to the petitioner, who is arrayed as accused No.5 in Crime No.227 of 2025 before the Trimulgherry Police Station, Hyderabad, registered for the offences punishable under Sections 316(5) and 318(4) of BNS.
2.
The brief facts of the case are that, on 10.09.2025, the defacto complainant, a Legal Manager at Hitachi Cash Management Services Pvt. Ltd. (HCMSPL), lodged a report regarding a major cash shortage detected during ATM cash replenishment operations. On 01.09.2025, custodian Katta Raja failed to report for duty and remained unresponsive, leading the Route Leader to operate the route with other custodians. During operations, broken cassette seals were noticed at ATMs PIDCHY46 (Gunrock Enclave, Kharkana) and PIDCHB23 (Santoshpuri Colony, Bowenpally). On 02.09.2025, routine cash processing revealed shortages of Rs. 8,00,000/- and Rs. 10,00,000/- at these ATMs. Further audit uncovered additional shortages across multiple ATMs, including Tirumalgiri (Rs.10,00,000/-), bringing the total confirmed shortage to Rs. 79,65,000/-, of which Rs.
9,99,000/- pertained to ATMs under Trimulgherry Police jurisdiction. CCTV footage confirmed that Katta Raja had visited these sites and misappropriated funds. The company alleged financial loss due to the actions of Katta Raja and K. Abhishek, and requested police action. Based on this report, the police registered a case against the accused for the above-mentioned offences. 3.
Heard Sri M. Keshav Yadav, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner, and Sri M. Ramachandra Reddy, learned
Additional Public Prosecutor appearing on behalf of the respondent-State.
4.
Learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the petitioner is innocent of the allegations and no role whatsoever is attributed to the petitioner in the alleged offence, as he was not part of the ATM cash handling or operational mechanism and that implication of the petitioner during the course of investigation is an afterthought and is not supported by any material evidence such as financial transactions, digital records, or recovery of any misappropriated amount. He further submitted that the main accused have already been arrested and the investigation is substantially completed and the petitioner is ready and willing to cooperate with the investigation. Hence, he prayed the Court to grant pre‐arrest bail to the petitioner by allowing the present Criminal Petition.
5.
On the other hand, the learned Additional Public Prosecutor opposed the submissions, contending that the allegations against the petitioner are serious in nature, that the investigation is at a nascent stage, and that custodial interrogation of the petitioner is necessary for effective investigation. Accordingly, he prayed for dismissal of the Criminal Petition.
6.
In light of the submissions made by learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Additional Public Prosecutor and upon perusal of the material available on record, it is noted that the petitioner is arrayed as Accused No.5 and the allegations against the petitioner are that he, along with Accused Nos.4, 6, and 7, allegedly committed the offence by connivance and conspiracy, and purportedly harbored Accused Nos.1 to 3 before and after the commission of the offence, facilitating them in the alleged crime. Considering the nature of the allegations and the stay granted by this Court on 15.03.2026 in favor of Accused Nos.4 and 6 in quashing the proceedings in Crime No.227 of of Thirmulgherry Police Station, this Court deems it appropriate to grant pre-arrest bail to the petitioner, subject to the following conditions:
i.
The petitioner shall surrender before the Station House Officer, Trimulgherry Police Station, Hyderabad within two weeks from today, and on such surrender, the said Court shall release him on bail on executing a personal bond for Rs.25,000/- with two sureties, for the like sum each.
ii.
The petitioner shall abide by the other conditions stipulated in Section 482(2) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and co-operate with the Investigating Officer in investigating the case.
iii.
The petitioner shall appear before the concerned Investigating Officer on every Wednesday between 09:00 a.m, and 05:00 p.m. for a period of eight (8) weeks or till filing of charge sheet whichever is earlier, for the purpose of investigation, and thereafter, as and when required.
7.
Accordingly, this Criminal Petition is allowed. Miscellaneous applications, if any pending, shall stand closed.
_______________ K. SUJANA, J Date: 15.04.2026 SS
THE HONOURABLE SMT JUSTICE K. SUJANA CRIMINAL PETITION No.4772 of 2026 Date: 15.04.2026 SS