A local court here has directed police initiate investigate against a man who received Rs 27 lakh donation in 24 hours after allegedly making false claim of having no food to eat amid the COVID19 pandemic.
The development came after advocate Muhammad Amin Najar filed a complaint before the court of Chief judicial Magistrate Srinagar Gowhar Majid Dalal via virtual mode.
After pursuing the complainant, the court said it has given consideration over the contents and the submissions made by the complainant.
“In order to ascertain the truthfulness or otherwise, I deem it proper to get the complaint investigated through SHO police station concerned under section 202 CrPC,” the court said.
“So, at this stage, the issuance of the process against the other side is postponed. The SHO police station Hawal is directed to investigate/enquire under section 202 CrPC and submit the detailed report by or before the next date of hearing,” the court said, listing the matter for next date of hearing on May 28.
As per the complaint, taking undue advantage of COVID19 circumstances, the accused person, having allegedly criminal intention and motive hatched criminal conspiracy to cheat, general public in order to gain illegally very much detriment to the rights of needy and poor sufferers who were the real victims of pandemic and poverty.
The two accused persons, named in petition, as per complaint, to give practical shape to their “nefarious designs”, in league with each other committed “fraud” by cheating innocent persons since long “by pronouncing false and frivolous stories regarding poverty.”
In a video circulated on social media by accused, he is seen making claims of poverty and of having “no food to eat for many days.”
“The video went viral and caused panic in the general public and NGO’s and people in general from different areas of Valley came with food items and most of the people transferred hefty amounts in the account of accused,” the petition reads. It says thereby the accused persons have committed “fraud willfully and intentionally cheated public” and has received more than Rs 27 Lakhs in just 24 hours.
The complaint has mentioned property details of the accused and names of other people who had earlier helped him through different means amid the pandemic before he circulated the video.