Sonia Dhawan's bail plea denied by district court in Paytm extortion and data theft case

After spending almost four months in jail, former Paytm executive Sonia Dhawan's bail plea was denied by the district court, Surajpur, Noida. Dhawan bail application was scheduled for hearing on Tuesday (12/02/19) but the development has come after a week.

According to the court, adequate evidence has been found against Dhawan during the investigation. Her active involvement in the crime has come to light. As she along with her husband and other co-accused has committed a serious crime of a grave nature, the court can't grant her bail application.

Interestingly, two weeks ago the Allahabad High Court did not find proper evidence against her husband Rupak Jain and granted bail to him. Jain is expected to walk out of jail by Tuesday (20/02/19).

Now Dhawan's lawyer will move her application to Allahabad High Court, reports ET.

In her first statement since the arrest, Dhawan claims that she was innocent and was wrongly implicated. "There is no independent witness against me. I have been implicated in collusion with the police with the objective of spoiling my career," said Dhawan in her bail application.

She also denied stealing any confidential data and never threatened Ajay Shekhar Sharma or his brother Vijay Shekhar Sharma for the alleged extortion.

Dhawan argued before the court that WhatsApp chat records between Ajay Shekhar Sharma and Rohit Chomwal could not prove her name in the case.

While police acted immediately to arrest all accused in the case, it took 32 days to lodge an FIR as Dhawan and her husband also got similar extortion call over the phone just a day after the call received by Ajay Shekhar Sharma.

The case is becoming more complicated as there is no any trace of a bail application filed by fourth accused i.e. Devendra Kumar. Also, there is no comment on Rohit Chomwal, the prime accused in the FIR who easily got stay on his arrest by the Allahabad High Court.

The case got another major twist after station house officer Manoj Kumar Pant was recently arrested for corruption along with three journalists. Pant, who was probing the Paytm case was allegedly arrested after being caught taking bribes.