COVID-19: Builder told to join fight to get bail in fraud case

Patna: A builder has been told to measure the body temperatures of people visiting the Patna Civil Court premises as a punishment for cheating a flat buyer. The man had bought the apartment in 2018.

The builder was granted bail by the Patna High Court last week on the condition that he should join the fight against the deadly Coronavirus for at least three months. The virus has claimed more than 4,800 lives in India and infected around 170,000 people.

According to reports, Kumari Priyanka, a resident of Patna, had booked a flat that was being constructed by Khalid Rashid, a prominent contractor, in 2018. Subsequently, she paid the full amount to the builder. Yet, she was not handed over possession of the apartment for months despite repeated requests.

Eventually, she registered a case with the local Kotwali Police Station in Patna, accusing the builder of fraud and hatching a criminal conspiracy. Acting on her complaint, police arrested the builder and he was jailed last November.

The accused then lodged an appeal with the Patna High Court for bail. Acting on his appeal, the court granted him bail last week on the condition that he would lend his services in the government’s fight against Covid-19 for at least three months.

As directed by the court, the accused builder on Friday reported to the office of Patna civil surgeon Dr Rajkishore Chaudhary, who deployed him at the local civil court with the responsibility to keep a watch on people visiting the court premises and measure their body temperatures. The man can now be seen stationed at the civil court’s main gate, measuring the temperature of visitors with a laser thermometer.