Court raps cops over forgery charges on Ringing Bells CEO
MONEY MATTERS Complainant Akshay Malhotra said Goel had been deferring payment of ₹16 lakh
A Ghaziabad court on Friday criticised the Uttar Pradesh police for levying sections of forgery in an FIR lodged against Mohit Goel, former managing director (MD) of Ringing Bells, a company that had shot into the limelight after announcing ‘Freedom 251’ — the cheapest smartphones priced at ₹251.
Late on Thursday night, the police arrested Goel on charges of cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy over an alleged payment dispute.
An FIR was lodged by the company’s distributor at Sihani Gate police station on Wednesday. Complainant Akshay Malhotra alleged that Goel’s firm could not pay a balance of ₹16 lakh as a final amount due to him.
Malhotra said they could not deliver phones and accessories and kept on lingering the matter for nearly a year.
Goel was arrested and produced before a Ghaziabad court on Friday afternoon.
The judicial magistrate during the hearing sought replies from the investigating officer and the reasons for levying nonbailable sections of forgery in the First Information Report.
“The court reserved judgment for Saturday. Mohit will be in a day’s judicial custody till he appears again on Saturday morning. In our arguments, we maintained before the court that the case under sections of forgery is not made out as there is nothing on record to show forgery. Even my client had no ill
The case under sections of forgery is not made out as there is nothing on record to show it. Mohit had paid Malhotra a part of ₹30 lakh.
intention as we earlier paid him a part of the total amount of ₹30 lakh,” said DM Bhalla, a Supreme Court advocate appearing for Goel.
“We had made a settlement with the distributor in January and this was concealed in the FIR. The cops could not present facts before the court even as the magistrate repeatedly asked them to produce documents which were forged,” Bhalla added.
During the arguments, complainant Akshay Malhotra appeared before the court and said he had no objection if Goel pays up the balance amount.
The magistrate criticised the UP cops for levying the non-bailable sections of forgery to the FIR and asked whether the investigating officer had any evidence on record.
Apart from the investigation officer, other officials from the Sihani Gate police station reached before the court and tried to explain their views.
Apart from Goel, the FIR also names present managing director and his brother, Anmol Goel, Mohit Goel’s wife Dharna Garg who resigned eight months back as CEO of Ringing Bells, company’s general manager Sumit Kumar, and Mohit’s partner Ashok Chaddha.
Chadha and Mohit are now officials of a new firm.