Ludhiana, April 14 -- A local court has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of a Chandigarh Road resident accused in a Rs.13.5 lakh cheating case, observing that custodial interrogation was necessary to trace the money trail and uncover the full extent of the fraud.

Additional sessions judge Jagdeep Sood rejected the plea of Karan Joshi, noting that he appeared to be the main conspirator in the case.

The case was registered at Model Town police station on the complaint of a woman whose husband had died in 2017. According to the complaint, her husband had purchased a 270-square-yard plot in the Haibowal area and had handed over Rs.1.5 lakh along with the original sale deed to co-accused Mohammad Asgar for correction of the khasra number...