New Delhi, Nov 19: A Delhi court rejected the bail plea of Antony Joe Kingsley Fernandez, an NRI businessman accused of duping a man here of crores of rupees sent by his UK-based sons. Metropolitan magistrate Paramjeet Singh turned down Fernandez's bail application after the CBI opposed it saying the money involved was huge (about Rs 67 crore) and he had committed forgery.

The accused is currently in judicial custody.

CBI had arrested Fernandez, who hails from Tamil Nadu, following an FIR, which accused him of duping one Anand Kumar of the money sent by his UK-based sons, who run 12 departmental stores there. In year 2000, one Arun Jain got in touch with Kumar and and promised him higher interest on bank investments following which he transferred nearly Rs 12.5 crore from his son's bank account here to the Nagarcoil branch of federal bank through Fernandez. The money was put in fixed deposits.

However, instead of handing over the original receipts, Fernandez allegedly handed over fake fixed deposit slips to Kumar and later opened a joint Non Resident Expatriable (NRE) bank account in his name and that of Mukesh Kumar, son of Anand Kumar, by producing a fake letter from the UK-national. Bureau Report