Bombay HC declines relief to businessman in Santacruz money dispute case

For a woman who believes she has found her life partner discovering that crucial facts about the man she trusted may have been concealed can be devastating When that is followed by allegations of financial pressure disputed loans threats and demands for money heartbreak can turn into a fight for justiceThat is the backdrop to the case involving Ahmedabadbased businessman Dhun Thacker also known by several aliases His anticipatorybail plea in a case registered at Santacruz Police Station was allowed to be withdrawn by the Bombay High Court on August 5 with liberty to approach the court afreshJustice Prafulla S Khubalkar hearing Anticipatory Bail Application No 1812 of 2026 noted that police had already filed the chargesheet After hearing the arguments the court indicated that it was ldquonot inclined to grant any relief at this stagerdquo following which Thackers counsel sought permission to withdraw the plea The court allowed the withdrawal The order is procedural and does not determine the truth or falsity of the allegationsNadar claims more women may have been affectedSpeaking to midday from the US Nadar alleged that Thacker targeted financially independent divorced women and claimed that at least 10 women had been affected although only two had come forward so farShe further alleged that some women were left financially distressed and were threatened with the release of intimate photographs or videos if they reported the matterldquoThere are likely many more victims whom the local police would like to know aboutrdquo said Nadar These are Nadarrsquos allegations and have not been established by a courtOther women mentionedThe prosecution also referred to allegations involving other women It relied on the earlier Madhya Pradesh MP proceedings and argued that there were similarities with Mumbai case The proceedings also referred to a statement submitted to Santacruz police by NadarAccording to the material placed before the court Nadar said she had gathered information after learning of Thackerrsquos arrest in MP and referred to accounts given by several women Those accounts reportedly included allegations of matrimonial deception financial losses jewellery and intimidationThey also included claims that Thacker continued approaching prospective partners after receiving conditional bail in MP in 2024 These accounts are allegations and are not judicial findings of guiltDefence disputes allegationsThackerrsquos lawyers denied the allegations and argued that the relationship was consensual The defence claimed thatgtgt The complainant knew about his previous marriagegtgt WhatsApp conversations showed that he had disclosed his pastgtgt Allegations concerning sexual offences were disputedgtgt Thacker was financially capable and had no apparent reason to obtain loans in her namegtgt The complaint was allegedly motivated by an ulterior purposeThe Sessions Court nevertheless rejected his pleaSessions Court rejected anticipatory bailThacker had earlier sought anticipatory bail in Crime No 5572026 registered at Santacruz Additional Sessions Judge S K Upadhyay rejected the plea on June 23 The prosecution alleged that Thacker concealed his earlier marriage and subsequently married the complainant while it was still subsisting It also referred to alleged loans or credit facilities obtained in the complainantrsquos nameWhat happens next in the caseWith the charge sheet filed Thackerrsquos anticipatorybail plea before the High Court has been withdrawn He has been given liberty to approach the court afresh The August 5 order does not amount to a finding of guilt or innocence The allegations will be tested through the criminaljustice processCops tightlippedA senior police official declined to comment Attempts to contact the investigating officer at Santacruz police station did not elicit a responseHow the case beganThe case stems from a complaint at Santacruz police station by a woman who allegedly entered into a relationship with Thacker after being introduced to him by Vijayalakshmi Nadar a former Mumbai senior journalist now based in the United StatesAccording to the material placed before the courts the complainant alleged that Thacker had presented himself as an established businessman willing to settle down while concealing that his earlier marriage was still subsistingShe further alleged thatgtgt Loans or financial facilities were obtained in her namegtgt The funds were allegedly used for Thackerrsquos benefitgtgt She and her family faced demands for money and goldgtgt She was allegedly threatened and harassed including through character assassinationgtgt She suffered alleged physical mental harassmentThese allegations remain unproven and are subject to the criminaljustice processCourt refers to earlier MP caseWhile rejecting anticipatory bail the Sessions Court referred to an earlier Madhya Pradesh High Court case involving Thacker in which he had been granted bail with a direction not to commit a similar offenceThe court observed that despite the condition ldquoit appears that the accused has married the victim though his first marriage was subsisting and had obtained loan in her namerdquoIt also referred to alleged ldquocriminal antecedents of similar naturerdquo and found a primafacie case that the complainant had been cheated through a loan allegedly obtained in her name