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.5868 of 2026 DATE : 23.04.2026 Between:
Nethala Rabby Krupa Raj.
...Petitioner/Accused No.5
AND The State of Telangana Rep. by its Public Prosecutor for Home, High Court for the State of Telangana at Hyderabad and others.
...Respondents
ORDER:
This Criminal Petition is filed under Section 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short 'BNSS') seeking grant of pre-arrest bail to the petitioner, who is arrayed as Accused No.5 in Crime No.144 of 2025 of Karkhana Police Station, Malkajgiri Commissionerate, 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 de-facto complainant lodged a report before the police stating that, there was manipulation of ATM cash cassettes and misappropriation of funds by certain persons entrusted with ATM cash replenishment operations. It is alleged that during the course of such operations, discrepancies and shortages in cash were detected in various ATMs, and upon verification, substantial amounts were found missing. The allegations primarily pertain to the acts of the main accused persons involved in ATM cash handling operations. Based on the said report, the police registered a case against the accused for the aforesaid offences.
3.
Heard Sri M. Keshav Yadav, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner, and Sri M. Rama Chandra 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 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 petitioner is ready and willing to cooperate with the investigation. Hence, he prayed the Court to grant prearrest 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 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.144 of 2025 of Karkhana 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, Karkhana Police Station, Malkajgiri Commissionerate 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 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: 23.04.2026 ADT
THE HONOURABLE SMT JUSTICE K. SUJANA CRIMINAL PETITION No.5868 of 2026 Date: 23.04.2026 ADT