MUMBAI: This is one groom who will be escorted by not just the baraat, but the police as well. The Bombay HC last Saturday refused anticipatory bail to a young businessman in Mumbai and his parents in a case of alleged cheating and fraud worth Rs 7.5 crore. The only relief given was that, if arrested, the police would escort the groom to his wedding ceremony.

The police, on Sunday, did end up arresting groom-to-be Mohit Jain and his father Rajesh Jain. Though Mohit's mother, Seema Jain, was also refused anticipatory bail, she has not yet been arrested. The cops escorted the father-son duo to the engagement ceremony at a hotel in Juhu and will do the same on Wednesday when they attend the wedding at a five-star hotel. The father and son are in the lock-up after a local magistrate remanded them to police custody till January 24, said the complainant's lawyer Ashok Sarogi.

The Jains had moved the HC on Saturday, a court holiday, for orders to prevent their arrest. Chandrakant Gurav, inspector with the Malad police, remained present in court before Justice R C Chavan. The three are directors of a company, Thandiram Textiles Pvt Ltd. An FIR filed against them by a Singapore-based firm run by a Marwari family has alleged that the Jains imported textile yarn worth Rs 7.5 crore by forging bank documents and not depositing the amount with the bank. The Jains refuted the charge and their lawyer said in court, "This was done on the instructions of the first informant company." It was an 18-month-old transaction, they said, and added that they had paid Rs 50 lakh. They added that they were placed under "some sort of house arrest by the IO (investigating officer) and forced to issue cheques of 7.5 crore after the FIR was filed".

The Jains sought relief since their son's marriage was coming up. They said they would deposit Rs 50 lakh in court and the remaining amount "at their leisure".

The HC, however, observed, "The unscrupulous applicants have received the goods by obviously altering the bills of lading, because the documents were routed through a bank, without having made any payment to the consignor." The judge said, "Now, because the marriage of one of the applicants is scheduled to be held on January 23, 2013, they want to be bailed out, without depositing the amount." The Jains said they have invited over 2,000 guests and the wedding card costs Rs 200 each.

The HC said since the Jains showed no inclination to deposit a larger amount in court, "there is no question of providing any protection to the applicants considering that (a) huge amount has to be recovered". "If arrested, the IO has to make sure that they remain present at the ceremonies under escort, to be provided at their own costs," said the court.

The bride is a daughter of a businessman from Pune.