Mumbai, April 25: After 14 years of trial, a sessions court has acquitted two men caught in 2011 with fake currency notes worth Rs 4.50 lakh at the international airport, citing procedural lapses.
Court flags missing key evidence
The court observed that the notes were concealed inside knee caps, but the prosecution failed to produce the caps as evidence before the court.
Accused and case background
According to the prosecution, Sohail Deevan of Surendra Nagar, Gujarat, Adnan Hussain of Ahmedabad and Zameer Pathan, who remains absconding, were part of a racket circulating fake currency in India. The trial proceeded only against Deevan and Hussain.
Details of the seizure
The prosecution said customs officers intercepted Deevan and Pathan on August 25, 2011, as they exited the airport. A search of their bags yielded nothing, but a personal search revealed both were wearing knee caps. Officers then found bundles of notes tied to their knees using the caps.
Investigators said the men carried 895 fake notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denominations, totalling Rs 4.50 lakh. The prosecution claimed the consignment was brought on Hussain’s instructions from Bangkok. Based on the findings, customs lodged a complaint with Sahar police station on September 19, 2011.
Defence highlights procedural lapses
The prosecution argued the men were caught red-handed bringing fake currency into India, posing a threat to the economy.
The defence highlighted several procedural lapses. It pointed to an unexplained delay of 24 days in registering the offence. It also noted that the original report from the Nashik press was not produced and only a xerox copy was submitted, which is inadmissible.
Further, the defence said the knee caps used to conceal the notes were not produced as evidence.
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Court grants benefit of doubt
Considering these lapses, the court acquitted both men. The court held that such omissions weakened the prosecution case and created reasonable doubt about the recovery process. It said adherence to procedure is essential in criminal trials to ensure fairness and reliability of evidence.
The judgment emphasised that failure to present key material objects and documents undermines the credibility of the case. With critical evidence missing, the benefit of doubt had to be given to the accused persons concerned.
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