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Mumbai: The Metropolitan Magistrate Court rejected the discharge application of Worli businessman Tarun Thadani, who was accused of hatching a criminal conspiracy, assaulting a software consultant with whom they had some grudges, video recording the slapping sessions on phone, and demanding Rs 1 crore while threatening to post the video on social media.
Thadani, accused alongside businessman Ali Asgar Merchant, sought discharge on grounds that he was falsely implicated, with no admissible evidence linking him to the alleged crime. His defence argued that the charge sheet did not specify any active role played by him, there was no recovery from him, and no witness statement connected him to the crime. It was contended that even WhatsApp chats on record did not indicate any criminal offence.
Vinod Patil, the 37th Metropolitan Magistrate, concluded that the statements of witnesses, FIR details, and digital evidence indicated prima facie involvement of the accused in the extortion plot, justifying framing of charges under Section 387 (extortion), Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), and other relevant IPC provisions.
The chargesheet filed by Anti-Extortion Cell says Thadani and Merchant allegedly conspired against a software consultant who was reportedly called to a hotel inauguration on June 2, 2022, where he was slapped, filmed, and subsequently blackmailed.
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