BENGALURU: The Special Court for CBI Cases has sentenced a former Enforcement Officer of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Lalit Bazad, to three years of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh. Bazad was found guilty of extorting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh in exchange for defreezing the bank account of a finance firm under ED investigation for links to Chinese loan apps.
“While awarding the sentence, this court should bear in mind the expectations of society to prevent corruption in public office by providing prompt conviction and stern sentence,” observed Judge Manjunath Sangreshi, Principal Special Judge for CBI Cases.
At the time of sentencing, Bazad was serving as an inspector in GST and Central Excise, Chennai Zone. The CBI had filed a charge sheet against him under Section 384 of the IPC and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the CBI, on January 20 and 28, 2021, Mikhil Innani, Managing Director and CEO of M/s Apollo Finvest India Ltd., along with Diksha and Harish Innani, visited the ED office in Bengaluru. During this time, Bazad allegedly demanded Rs 50 lakh from Mikhil to close the case against Apollo Finvest.
He also threatened to drag the case for at least 10 years and ruin the company’s name and business if the amount was not paid. Eventually, Bazad managed to extort Rs 5 lakh, which was delivered by Manavendra Bhati on the night of February 9, 2021, at a pub in J.P. Nagar. The transaction was captured on CCTV.