Mumbai, Jun 5 (PTI) A special court in Mumbai has convicted a retired assistant police inspector in a 2017 bribery case and sentenced him to three years in jail, the minimum prison term for the offence under law, citing his record of heading probe into nearly 60 criminal cases and securing conviction.

Suresh Naik (65), formerly an investigating officer with the Mumbai Police, was found guilty under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act by special judge S E Bangar on Wednesday.

While sentencing the former assistant police inspector (API), the court, however, showed leniency and awarded the minimum sentence of three years under law (as against the maximum jail term of seven years) for such offences.

“Considering the services rendered by the accused in investigating 58 crimes as investigation officer and bringing the culprits therein to book, it would be just and proper to award the minimum prescribed punishment of imprisonment while imposing heavy fine while sentencing the accused, which would meet the ends of justice,” the judge observed.

Maharashtra’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had in 2017 registered a case against Naik based on a complaint filed by Ramakrishna Kute, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) driver who was previously arrested in a criminal case.

Kute alleged API Naik demanded a bribe of Rs 5,00,000 for showing leniency in investigation into the case and modify his attendance order.

Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap and caught Naik while accepting Rs 30,000 as part of the bribe amount.

The court relied on testimonies of nine witnesses, including the complainant, to conclude the prosecution had successfully proven its case against the accused. PTI AVI RSY