The Margao JMFC Court has granted conditional bail to Hazel Fernandes in a case registered by Margao Town Police concerning alleged overseas job recruitment fraud. The court held that six days of custodial interrogation were sufficient for the police to examine the documentary aspects of the case, emphasizing the constitutional principle under Article 21 that “bail is the rule and jail is the exception” for offences not punishable with life imprisonment or the death penalty.

According to the prosecution, the case was registered for cheating, along with the relevant provisions of the Immigration Act, following a complaint filed by a resident of Dharwad, Karnataka.

The complainant alleged that in June 2023, at Navelim in Salcete, Hazel Fernandes—a resident of Borda, Margao—misrepresented herself as an authorized overseas recruitment agent and induced him to pay ₹3,50,000 in cash on the pretext of securing employment in Norway. He alleged that after receiving the amount, she neither arranged the promised job nor returned the money, and subsequently stopped responding to his communications.

Margao Town Police traced Fernandes through technical surveillance and, with the assistance of the Kankanady police, apprehended her at Mangaluru Junction Railway Station in Karnataka on October 30. She was formally brought to Goa on transit remand and placed in police custody.

Opposing the bail application, the prosecution and the complainant, appearing as an intervener, contended that Fernandes had criminal antecedents and was apprehended while attempting to flee Goa. They further argued that continued custodial interrogation was necessary to search her workplace, establish the money trail, verify potential overseas recruitment links, and determine whether other victims had been defrauded.

Countering the allegations, Fernandes’ counsel, Advocate Savio Noronha, argued that the FIR was filed after an unexplained delay of over three years, having been lodged in October 2026 in relation to an alleged transaction from mid-2023. He further submitted that the claim that she was absconding was baseless, producing railway tickets and SMS records to show that she was already returning to Margao when intercepted in Mangaluru.

After hearing all parties, the JMFC court observed that although the complaint was filed after a substantial delay, delay alone could not be the sole determining factor for bail. The court noted that the investigation primarily involved documentary and financial records, for which the six days already spent in police custody were sufficient.

The court further observed that Fernandes had placed evidence on record demonstrating her intention to return to Goa, had diligently attended other ongoing trials, and had no pending non-bailable warrants against her. It held that concerns regarding witness tampering, reoffending, or flight risk could be adequately addressed through stringent bail conditions.
Granting bail, the court ordered Fernandes’ release on execution of a personal bond of ₹25,000 with one surety of the like amount.