Mumbai: The sessions court has granted anticipatory bail to Chhota Shakeel’s aide Riyaz Bhati in a case registered last year for threatening a witness in an extortion case. The court said that the witness who alleged threats from Bhati was declared hostile and never in his testimony said anything about threats from Bhati.
As per the prosecution case on November 3, last year, Amad, Bhati’s son had called the witness on the instructions of his father for deposing evidence in favour of his father in an extortion case registered against him in 2021. The witness approached the police and filed a case.
While Amad was granted anticipatory bail a month later by the sessions court, Riyaz had approached recently for anticipatory bail, claiming that the applicant has not committed any crime.
The prosecution on the other hand objected to his plea claiming that it was on Riyaz’s instruction the witness was threatened to not testify against him, hence, if the applicant is released on bail, there may be a threat to the life of the complainant.
The court said that there was no need for Bhati’s custodial interrogation as he had agreed to cooperate with the investigation.