Relief for 45 Nagaland youths as court grants bail in call centre scam

KOHIMA — Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Thursday announced that the 45 youths from Nagaland, who were previously arrested and kept in custody after Punjab police had busted two fake call centres, have been granted bail.

“The 45 Naga youths who were in custody in Punjab have been granted bail. The govt. is making arrangements and facilitating for their smooth return home. I congratulate the Advocate General Nagaland, K N Balgopal and his team; and appreciate his efforts in ensuring their release,” he wrote in a post on X.

The 45 Naga youths who were in custody in Punjab have been granted bail. The Govt is making arrangements & facilitating for their smooth return home. I congratulate the Advocate General Nagaland, Shri K N Balgopal and his team; and appreciate his efforts in ensuring their release

— Neiphiu Rio (@Neiphiu_Rio) September 26, 2024

The youths were released after four months in jail following their arrest by Punjab Police on May 15 this year. They were arrested under Sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, an update from DIPR stated.

“The individuals had been employed at call centres operated by individuals from Gujarat and Maharashtra and were accused of sending fraudulent messages to foreigners and extracting money under various schemes,” it stated.

On Thursday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted bail to the 45 youths, including 10 females, after it acknowledged the lack of evidence against the accused persons.

It may be recalled that on June 20, Neeraj Punj, a volunteer with the ‘Helping Hands’ organisation and a lecturer at Punjab University, appealed to Nagaland government to intervene on behalf of Naga youths detained by the Punjab police.

Also read: Nagaland youths detained in Punjab, ‘Helping Hands’ seeks state action

Nagaland Chief Minister asks Advocate General to look into detention of 45 Naga youth in Punjab

Two days later, the chief minister directed the advocate general to personally intervene and look into their detention in Mohali Jail, Punjab. The AG was directed to depute his team to take urgent necessary actions for the release of the Naga youths.

The chief minister had also directed the Resident Commissioner in-charge of Nagaland House, New Delhi, to be in touch with the families of the Naga youths and extend all necessary help.

The case was presented before the High Court, presided over by Justice Rajesh Bharadwaj, and heard over three separate hearings. During the proceedings, it was argued that none of the accused youth were beneficiaries of the alleged fraudulent schemes.

Instead, the actual beneficiaries were businessmen from Gujarat and Maharashtra, none of whom had been arrested. The prosecution, which claimed there were over 1 lakh victims, failed to produce any witness or conduct a thorough investigation, despite the availability of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between India and the United States, the DIPR update added.

The 45 youths were represented by a legal team led by Advocate General KN Balgopal, along with Advocates Paramjeet Singh Brar and Nitya Nambiar.

It was also informed that the chief minister closely monitored the developments to ensure the swift release of the Naga youths, highlighting the government’s commitment to justice for its citizens.