Four persons who were allegedly duped in a loan fraud case attempted suicide inside the court of Justice Nirzar Desai of the Gujarat High Court during the hearing of the anticipatory bail applications filed by the three individuals accused in the case.
The victims are currently stable after being provided immediate medical treatment.
The alleged victims, identified as Shaileshbhai Ishwarbhai Panchal (52), his wife Jayshreeben Panchal (50), Manojbhai Vaishnav (41) and Hardikbhai Amaratbhai Patel (24), consumed phenyl from a bottle after the court granted anticipatory bail to the accused.
The Panchals, who hail from Nikol, and Vaishnav and Patel from Chandkheda and Ghatlodia, respectively, claimed to be victims of a fraudulent scheme perpetrated by the Khadia branch of the Colour Merchant Co-operative Bank.
According to them, a sum of Rs 1 crore had been deposited in Jayshreeben Panchal’s account which was subsequently siphoned off to various other accounts without her knowledge or authorisation.
On Thursday, the accused, charged with fraud and deception, were provided interim relief as the court granted them protection from immediate arrest.
The decision triggered drastic actions by the alleged victims, who were quickly transported to the emergency ward of the Sola Civil Hospital for treatment. Abhishek Panchal, the son of the Panchal couple, was also present in the courtroom when the incident occurred.
After the unsettling scene, Justice Desai promptly adjourned the day’s proceedings and discharged the post-lunch cause list board.
A team from the Sola police station has recorded the statements of the four individuals involved.
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