The Karnataka High Court on Friday refused bail to Abdul Karim Rehman Qureshi, a resident of Mumbai, in a case of human trafficking and murder of one Surinderpal Singh detected in Ramanagaram district.
“...the materials clearly and prima facie show the involvement of the petitioner in a heinous crime and about conspiracy” observed Justice B.A. Patil while rejecting the bail petition.
The court also noted that there was sufficient material to show that the petitioner is a member of the syndicate involved in a series of similar heinous crimes.
Three other accused, Harminder Singh alias Shelly, hailing from Punjab; Parsh Ram alias Parsha and Sumit alias Mittu (both from Haryana) were denied bail by the High Court last month.
The allegations of the police were that the members of the syndicate used to lure job aspirants from various States on the promise of getting them a job in Canada. Later, the gang would illegally confine the youth in Bengaluru and extort huge amounts of money from their family members by issuing threats. They were also accused of preparing fake passports and air tickets.
The crime was unearthed after the police took up investigation when Surinderpal Singh’s body was found in a village in Ramanagaram district in December 2017.
The prosecution has told the court that there are 10 other cases against the members of the syndicate, and their release on bail would hamper investigations.