5 accused of robbing, killing steel shop staffers acquitted

MUMBAI: The city police received a major jolt when the session court acquitted five suspects accused of robbing and killing two employees of a steel shop located on a busy Girgaum road in 2011.
Judge Shayana Patil acquitted all the five after the prosecution failed to prove the murder conspiracy.
On July 6, 2011, two men walked into the shop at Khetwadi and shot the manager, Lalchand Bishnoi (35), and his cousin, Ratnaram Bishnoi (40) and fled.The police had registered a murder case but did not make any progress for two months until the crime branch arrested four men for a robbery bid. The accused were identified as Mohammed Sanjar Alam, Govind Raja, Naushed Rahman Khan and Rabiullah Khan. During their interrogation, it transpired that they may have had a hand in killing the Bishnois. The crime branch handed over the accused to the VP Road police for further investigation.
During interrogation, the accused implicated Deepak Pawar, a employee of the steel shop. Pawar had reportedly told them a large amount of cash would be stored at the shop on July 6. Pawar was arrested and booked under various IPC sections including attempt to murder and murder. The accused were acquitted for lack of evidence and faulty investigation, said sources. Advocate Kaushik Mhatre representing Naushed Rahman Khan and Rabiullah Khan said that there were several flaws in the probe ranging from carrying out the identification parade, recording of statements of witnesses. “The police did not draw any sketch based on the complainant’s description. The police did not record statements of neighbouring shopkeepers to prove the incident. A key witness who had deposed and given a voluntary statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, however the witness told the court that his confessional statement was taken under duress,” said the lawyer.
Mhatre also drew the attention of the court regarding the faulty method followed during the identification parade. Investigating officer Srikant Desai, who is presently posted at the Santacruz police station, said, “I have learnt that all the accused have been acquitted. I am yet to get the written order, but the complainant turn hostile and did not support the prosecution.”