Mumbai Court Rejects Anticipatory Bail For Former CTO Sahil Sachdev In Extortion Case
The Mumbai Sessions Court on June 30 rejected the anticipatory bail application of 39-year-old Sahil Sachdev, the former Chief Technical Officer of digital marketing firm Sociohub Pvt. Ltd., in a digital data extortion case. Sachdev is accused of withholding confidential company data and demanding extortion money ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 80 lakh to return it. Meanwhile, the court granted anticipatory bail to Sachdev's parents, who were also named as accused in the case.
The case was registered at the Maharashtra Cyber Police Station following a complaint by Aryan Bhasin, a director of Sociohub Pvt. Ltd. and Sachdev's maternal cousin. According to the complaint, Sachdev was initially hired as a digital data handler on a monthly salary before being appointed as the Chief Technical Officer in February 2023. In his role as CTO, Sachdev was entrusted with managing the company's domains, hosting, software management, Google Workspace, and Google G Suite.
Bhasin alleged that Sachdev began misusing company data in 2023. He reportedly refused to hand over login IDs, passwords, and domain access to another employee. Even after his services were terminated on March 30, 2023, Sachdev allegedly refused to return the company's data and physical assets.
According to the prosecution, Sachdev and his parents subsequently demanded Rs 80 lakh to hand over the company's data and articles. This demand was later reduced to Rs 30 lakh and eventually to Rs 20 lakh.
Police investigations also revealed financial irregularities. In 2023, Sociohub Pvt. Ltd. took over a brand named Filmozo. Sachdev allegedly opened a current account for Filmozo in his own name, diverted company revenues into it, and fraudulently obtained a loan using the company's property.
In its ruling, the Mumbai Sessions Court noted that Sachdev had wrongfully retained physical possession of company laptops and mobile phones containing sensitive client and employee databases. The court observed that custodial interrogation is necessary to recover the company's articles and sensitive data, thereby rejecting his plea for anticipatory bail.
