Court acquits five men in 2015 abduction case

NEW DELHI: A court here has acquitted five men in a 2015 kidnapping case, saying the prosecution’s story was improbable, unbelievable and riddled with doubts.

“The evidence adduced by the prosecution is not worthy of acceptance and there is a serious shadow of doubt cast upon it and not worthy of inspiring any confidence. Hence, they strike at the very root of the prosecution story rendering it to be improbable and unbelievable,” Additional Sessions Judge Atul Ahlawat said in his order on February 24.

It acquitted the accused persons, Rizwan, Rohit, Salim, Gulzar and Shera, saying “the prosecution miserably failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.” According to the prosecution, Rajendra Gupta was kidnapped on July 12, 2015 and a ransom call demanding Rs 30,000 was made to his son-in-law.

The court said the prosecution’s case hinged on the testimonies of Rajendra Gupta, his son-in-law and complainant Anil Kumar and son Pradeep Gupta. But the trio did not support the prosecution’s version and were declared hostile on various aspects, it said.

Even if their turning hostile on the points were ignored, their remaining testimonies were also not of “sterling character” to prove the accused’s guilt, the court said. The Delhi court dismissed the kidnapping-for-ransom case, citing contradictions in testimonies and doubts over evidence. It questioned the credibility of the victim’s statements and criticised the investigation as “shoddy.” Video clippings and call records further weakened the prosecution’s case.