Mumbai, May 13 (PTI) A court here has discharged businessman Riyaz Bhati in an extortion case, holding that the statements of witnesses recorded by the police were "vague and hearsay" and the evidence was flimsy.
Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) judge Chakor Baviskar last month granted relief to Bhati who had been accused of links with the Dawood Ibrahim gang in the past.
The detailed order became available on Tuesday.
A businessman had in 2022 filed a complaint at Versova police station in the city alleging that Bhati and fugitive gangster Chhota Shakeel's brother-in-law Salim Qureshi alias Salim Fruit tried to extort money from him during Bhati's birthday party.
The two men forced him to hand over a car valued at Rs 30 lakh besides Rs 7.5 lakh in cash, the complainant claimed.
Bhati filed an application seeking discharge from the case, claiming no prima-facie case was made out against him and he had been falsely implicated in the matter.
The court noted that it was difficult to accept that the accused "in spite of enjoying the party, would indulge in serious business of hatching criminal conspiracy of extorting the complainant."
The circumstances do not appear to inspire confidence about the allegation that there was a criminal conspiracy, the court said.
The statements of the witnesses allegedly present at the birthday party were "vague" and "hearsay of sorts", and the complaint itself does not allege anything directly against Bhati, it said.
The evidence on record, even if proved, was not enough for conviction, said the judge, discharging the businessman.