Mumbai: The sessions court has acquitted three men booked for dacoity and murder of the owner of Dharmaraj Jewellers of Chembur in 2011, giving them the benefit of doubt. On May 20, 2011, at around 2pm,
a group of robbers barged into the showroom and robbed valuables. When the owner, Pankaj Soni, protested, the accused attacked him with a sharp weapon causing his death.
Pankaj was found bleeding by his father, who came to the showroom to check as the former hadn’t come home for lunch at around 1 pm. The police were alerted and Pankaj was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. During the probe, the police arrested Sandip Mali, Anand Sarvade, Mangesh Sonar, Sudhakar Pawar and Sachin Bansode. All the accused were as some ornaments, cash and other articles were found in their possession. Pending trial, Pawar was discharged, while Sarvade died.
During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Mali was known to Soni as they were part of a group dealing in money lending. The prosecution claimed that Mali was the conspirator and the stolen articles were sold to Sonar through Pawar. However, the court acquitted them, noting that Mali, Sonar and Bansode were known to Pankaj and regularly visited his shop, but no evidence was submitted by the prosecution on this point.
The court noted that on the day of the incident, there was a telephonic conversation between Sarvade and Bansode, during which they planned the exact time when the offence was to be committed. As per the prosecution, the call data records were seized during the investigation, but the prosecution did not prove the same in accordance with the law. “It is clear that the prosecution has failed to prove that all the accused have committed the offences with which they are charged,” the court concluded.
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