Extortion case: Absconder proclamation against Riyaz Bhati quashed by HC

The Bombay High Court on Friday quashed a proclamation issued against Riyaz Bhati, an alleged middleman, who was declared an absconder along with former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh in an extortion case.

The Bombay High Court on Friday quashed a proclamation issued against Riyaz Bhati, an alleged middleman, who was declared an absconder along with former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh in an extortion case. Justice Revati MohiteDere quashed the order of a magistrate's court that had issued the proclamation in November, 2021, declaring Bhati an absconder. Bhati's counsel Taraq Sayed told HC it had earlier quashed a similar proclamation order issued by the lower court against Vinay Singh, another accused in the case, the charges against whom were identical to those against Bhati.

On November 17, 2021, a city magistrate had declared Param Bir Singh a 'proclaimed absconder'. Along with him, Bhati and Vinay Singh too were declared absconders after the Mumbai crime branch told the court that it could not locate the three persons.

On Friday, Justice MohiteDere, while quashing and setting aside Bhati's proclaimed offender tag, noted that since the prosecution had not challenged the High Court's decision in Singh's case, Bhati also deserved the same reprieve.

A complaint was lodged against them at Goregaon police station in October last year on the complaint of a hotelier who alleged that Sachin Waze, now dismissed from the police force, in connivance with Singh, and others compelled him to shell out Rs. 11.92 lakh so as to allow him to run his two resto-bars in the city.

According to the police, Bhati used to collect money from bars and restaurants owners and send it to Waze.