Karnataka HC directs magistrates not to blindly order seizure of bank account in cyber crime cases

The Karnataka High Court (HC) has issued a directive to all magisterial courts in the state to refrain from ordering seizure of bank accounts of persons who are not identified as accused in cyber fraud and cyber crime cases in the state.

The HC order on October 17 comes in the wake of a magistrate court ordering the seizure of the bank account of a director of PhonePe, a UPI payment gateway firm, in a cybercrime case registered by the Bengaluru police in 2021. In a breather to the firm, the high court ordered the re-funding of Rs 69,143 that was debited from the account of PhonePe director by the victim.