Colva: Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Vrutika Shridhar Prabhu granted bail to Hazel Fernandes, arrested by Margao police for allegedly cheating a person on the pretext of providing overseas employment.Fernandes was arrested last month on the basis of a complaint by Sunil Bevoor, a resident of Borda, that in June 2023, Fernandes allegedly promised to arrange a job for him in Norway if he paid Rs 3.5 lakh, even as she did not have a licence as a recruiter. Fernandes not only failed to arrange the job but did not return the money.The prosecution opposed bail, contending that the investigation was still in progress and that the financial trail, documentary and electronic evidence, involvement of other persons and other complaints needed to be investigated.However, JMFC Prabhu observed that the investigation was primarily documentary in nature and did not warrant custodial interrogation. The court further noted that the accused had already undergone six days of police custody, which was sufficient to verify the details sought by the investigating officer. It was also observed that the investigating officer had failed to demonstrate any significant progress in the investigation during the six-day custody period.
