A small digital transaction of Rs 20 has become a pain in the neck for a tea seller in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The entire bank account of Sultan Ahmed Sheikh, who runs ‘Al-Safar Paan and Tea Corner’ in Mirzapur area of Ahmedabad, was frozen just because Rs 20 was transferred to his account through UPI.
What is the whole matter? According to the information, on April 19, a customer had made a UPI payment of Rs 20 to Sultan Ahmed for tea. Later investigation revealed that this amount was part of the money trail which is being investigated by the Cyberabad cyber crime police of Telangana in a fraud case. After this, on the instructions of the investigating agency, HDFC Bank froze Sultan’s entire account.
Having to face beatings despite not being an accused Surprisingly, Sultan Ahmed is neither an accused nor a suspect in this cyber fraud case. Despite this, due to the account being frozen, he is not able to use his own deposited money. When the account was not restored even after repeated appeals to the bank officials, he approached the Gujarat High Court. Sultan’s lawyers told the court that the Rs 20 transaction was part of normal business process and had no connection with fraud. Due to account freezing, Sultan is facing huge difficulties in paying his EMI and daily expenses.
High Court sought answer from the government While hearing this case, Justice Nikhil Karial made important comments. He said when a person is not accused in a criminal case, the authorities should usually freeze only the disputed amount (Rs 20 in this case) rather than the entire bank account. The court has ordered the state government to obtain necessary instructions in the matter and fixed the next hearing of the case on July 24.