‘Honey Trap’ Case: SC Grants Anticipatory Bail To Hotel Manager

The Supreme Court on Thursday has granted anticipatory bail to a hotel manager accused in a “honey trap” case involving a BHEL employee in Bhopal.

A bench of justices Dipankar Datta and Pankaj Mithal issued notice to the Madhya Police in the case and sought its reply.

The bench stated, “In the meanwhile, the petitioner shall not be arrested in connection with the proceedings arising out of FIR registered at Police Station- Govindpura, District- Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.”

Advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, appearing for the accused, submitted that petitioner is innocent and doesn’t have any role in the crime.

Dubey stated that, the amount in question has been recovered from the co-accused Manoj Mewari and charge sheet has already been filed in the case.

THE CASE

The apex court heard an appeal filed by accused Pushpendra Thakur challenging an order of the MP high court which dismissed his plea seeking anticipatory bail in the case.

Furthermore, it was claimed by police that credit/debit card of complainant was brought by main accused person and the same was swapped in the hotel to withdraw the amount. Thakur was present in hotel and he allowed co-accused person to swap the card.

WHAT POLICE OBSERVED?

As per the police, the complainant is posted as an artisan in Bhopal his wife has been living in their native town in Tamil Nadu after delivery in January.

The complainant came in contact with a woman and they started talking over phone.

Later, she introduced another woman to him, stating that she was in dire need of a job.

The trio decided to meet up, and both the women took him to a house in Katara hills locality of Bhopal.

When they were inside the house, 2 men impersonating as police officers barged into the house and threatened the complainant to implicate him in false rape case and demanded Rs.20 lakh from him.