Authority: High Court of Odisha, Cuttack
Order Date: 20 August 2026
Case Overview
- Parties: Petitioners – Saroj Kumar Pradhan (also known as Saroj Padhan, Sanoj Padhan) and Prafulla Karna (also known as Prafulla Loha, Luha); Opposite Party – State of Odisha.
- Nature of Proceeding: Bail applications under Section 483 of the BNSS in connection with Katarabaga Police Station (PS) Case No.20 of 2026, corresponding to GR Case No.386 of 2026, pending before the learned Sessions Judge, Sambalpur.
- Allegations: The petitioners are alleged to have facilitated financial fraud using a current account of RBL Bank (Ratnakar Bank Ltd.) – Account No.409001981811 – flagged on NCRP/14C platforms as a beneficiary in multiple cyber‑fraud cases across jurisdictions. The account allegedly received proceeds of cheating, impersonation, fraud investment and digital arrest scams.
- Financial Details: The account was credited with Rs 4,36,70,804 and subsequently Rs 4,33,31,004 was withdrawn, indicating a suspicious transaction of approximately Rs 4.36 crore.
- Offences Charged: Sections 317(2), 318(4), 61(2), 3(5) of the BNS Act read with Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.
- Investigation Timeline: FIR lodged by SI of Katarabaga PS; petitioner Saroj Kumar Pradhan arrested for inability to explain the transactions; petitioner Prafulla Karna apprehended on 24‑05‑2026; preliminary charge‑sheet submitted thereafter.
Final Outcome
- The Court, after considering the gravity of the alleged offences and the large suspicious transaction, rejected both bail applications (BLAPL No.3257 of 2026 and BLAPL No.6770 of 2026).
- The bail applications are disposed of; pending IA No.577 of 2026 arising out of BLAPL No.6770 of 2026 is also disposed.
- The petitioners are permitted to renew their bail prayers afresh after the charge‑sheet has been filed.
- The Court directed issuance of an urgent certified copy of the order and immediate communication of a soft copy to the concerned Sessions Court.
Topics: Bail, Cyber Fraud