Chandigarh, Aug. 21 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has said that the existing legal framework and the punishment prescribed for cyber fraud offences do not appear to be "sufficiently deterrent". "Court deems it appropriate to express its concern over the alarming increase in cybercrime in the country, which has created a sense of apprehension amongst bank account holders that, at any point of time, the funds lying in their accounts may be siphoned off through fraudulent means, leaving them in a helpless and vulnerable situation," the bench of justice Sanjay Vashisth observed. The bench directed that the judgment be sent to the directors general of police of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh, for circulation amongst the concerned cyber cells, dealing with the detection and investigation of cybercrime. The court was dealing with a bail plea filed by Sanjay Singh, an accused in alleged cyber fraud of approximately Rs.73 lakh involving Vikram Midha of Gurugram. The victim recovered Rs.20 lakh after the matter was reported to cyber police in September 2025. The petitioner had claimed that a WhatsApp link related to online trading was sent to him. Attracted by the prospect of making money, he clicked on the link and transferred money into different bank accounts. Singh's counsel Sagar Panghal submitted that the actual masterminds behind cyber fraud often remain beyond the reach of law enforcement, while account holders and intermediaries are arrested.htc...