Police bust fake surety racket; two lawyers among 11 arrested

The operation was based on intelligence inputs. The accused targeted relatives of criminals, promising them bail in exchange for money. Guarantors were brought from Mumbai by offering them money, food, and transport charges RAJ KUMAR SHINDE, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 5)

- Shrinivas Deshpande

PUNE: The Pune police have busted a racket involved in fake bail sureties and arrested two lawyers on Sunday, Wanowrie police station officials said on Monday.

The accused have been identified as Aslam Gafur Sayyad, 45, of Vaidwadi in Hadapsar and Yogesh Suresh Jadhav, 43, also from Hadapsar. The duo was produced before a local court and granted police custody till February 5.

According to the police, individuals are often reluctant to act as guarantors for criminals seeking bail due to the associated legal risks. Exploiting this hesitation, the accused set up a network of fake sureties, facilitating bail for criminals using forged documents, including Aadhaar cards, ration cards, official stamps, and fabricated guarantors.