A small tea stall owner in Ahmedabad has approached the Gujarat High Court after his entire bank account was frozen because of a ₹20 UPI payment that was later found to be linked to an alleged cyber fraud case being investigated by the Telangana Police.
The case has raised concerns about whether authorities should freeze an entire bank account over a small transaction received during the normal course of business.
A Routine Tea Payment Led to Trouble
The petitioner, Sultan Ahemad Sheikh, runs Al-Safar Pan and Tea Corner in Ahmedabad’s Mirzapur area. According to his plea, a customer paid ₹20 through UPI on April 19 for tea, just like any other daily transaction at his shop.
Later, investigators allegedly traced that payment as part of the money trail in a cyber fraud case being probed by the Cyberabad Cybercrime Police in Telangana.
After the amount reached Sheikh’s bank account, the investigating agency reportedly instructed HDFC Bank to freeze the account as part of the ongoing investigation.
Entire Bank Account Was Frozen
Although the disputed transaction involved only ₹20, Sheikh’s entire bank account became inaccessible after it was frozen.
According to the petition, Sheikh repeatedly contacted bank officials after learning why his account had been blocked. However, the bank refused to restore access, saying it was acting on the directions of the Telangana Police during the investigation.
As a result, Sheikh claimed he lost access to all the money in the account, despite not being named as an accused or even a suspect in the cyber fraud case.
Tea Seller Says Payment Was Genuine
Represented by advocates Shehzad Ansari and Fahim Memon, Sheikh argued before the Gujarat High Court that the ₹20 payment was received as part of his regular business and had no connection with any fraudulent activity.
His lawyers submitted bank records to show that the transaction was simply a routine payment from a customer buying tea.
The petition further stated that freezing the entire account caused serious financial hardship. Since he could not access his savings, his day-to-day financial activities were affected, including the payment of EMIs and other regular expenses.
High Court Questions Complete Account Freeze
While hearing the matter, Justice Nikhil Kariel observed that when a person is not an accused in a criminal case, authorities generally freeze only the disputed amount instead of blocking access to the entire bank account.
The observation highlighted the issue of whether freezing an entire account is justified when only a small amount linked to an investigation is involved and the account holder is not facing criminal charges.
Court Seeks Gujarat Government’s Reply
The Gujarat High Court has directed the state government to obtain instructions in the matter and respond to the petition.
The court also allowed Sheikh to add the Gujarat Home Department as a respondent in the case and instructed him to provide a copy of the petition to the government lawyer.
The matter has now been kept pending for further hearing. The court has asked the state to place its response before the next hearing scheduled for July 24.
Case Raises Wider Questions
The case has drawn attention because a routine ₹20 UPI payment for a cup of tea allegedly resulted in a complete freeze of a small business owner’s bank account.
The High Court’s upcoming hearing is expected to examine whether such action is proportionate, particularly when the account holder is neither an accused nor a suspect in the criminal investigation.
Also Read: Neighbour Sets Woman On Fire Over ₹5,000 Debt In Gujarat; Victim Dies https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarat-woman-dies-after-being-set-on-fire-over-rs-5000-loan-dispute/
