Supreme Court cancels bail in fake Chinese investment app case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday cancelled the bail granted to Bhupesh Arora and rejected the bail plea of Rohit Vij in a money laundering case linked to the alleged fake Chinese investment app LOXAM. A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale ruled that a settlement in the predicate offence does not automatically end the criminal activity or the Enforcement Directorate's investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The case originates from a July 2022 Hyderabad cyber crime FIR, where a complainant alleged he was cheated of Rs 1.16 lakh through the LOXAM app, which promised high returns. The ED alleged that funds from victims were routed through accounts linked to Xindai Technologies Pvt. Ltd., then converted into cash and foreign currency through Ranjan Moneycorp and KDS Forex, entities allegedly controlled by Vij and Navneet Kaushik.

The Delhi High Court had granted Arora bail in February, citing prima facie gaps and the quashing of the predicate FIR following a compromise. It refused Vij bail in August, citing his alleged role in the cash conversion mechanism. The Supreme Court set aside Arora's bail and dismissed Vij's plea, hearing ED's challenge against Arora's bail and Vij's plea against the refusal of his bail together.