Trader booked for ‘taking’ Rs 8L to ‘influence’ dowry death verdict

Meerut: A case has been filed against a local trader for allegedly cheating a family of Rs 8 lakh by falsely claiming he could influence the outcome of a dowry death case and secure the acquittal of the accused.

However, on April 20, the trial court convicted all three accused.As per the FIR, complainant Praveen Bhaskar said his brother, Hemant Bhaskar, and their parents were facing trial over the death of Hemant’s wife when they came in contact with Sagar Gupta, who owns a trading company in Morganj Mandi.Praveen alleged that Gupta claimed to have close links with the presiding judge and demanded Rs 8 lakh in exchange for ensuring a favourable verdict.

The family allegedly paid Rs 1.45 lakh through an online transfer and Rs 6.55 lakh in cash.The complainant alleged that Gupta initially assured the family he would return the money within a week, but later stopped responding to their calls and blocked their phone numbers.Based on the complaint, Saharanpur police registered an FIR against Gupta under section 318 of the BNS, which pertains to cheating.Rejecting the allegations, Gupta told TOI that he runs a trading company with an annual turnover of Rs 20 crore and had no reason to engage in such an act.

He claimed Hemant had been planning to start a business and had borrowed money from him. Gupta said that after Hemant’s conviction, he asked Praveen to repay the loan, but the latter refused. “After an argument over the money, he falsely implicated me in this case,” Gupta alleged. Police said the investigation is underway.