Mumbai: After spending more than four years in prison, a sessions court on Thursday acquitted man who was booked for possessing counterfeit Rs 500 notes worth over Rs 5 lakh in January 2020.
Delay In FIR Registration Raises Questions
Mukeshkumar Suthar, a resident of Rajasthan, was acquitted due to several procedural lapses and unexplained delays in the investigation. The court noted that although the accused was caught with fake currency in January 2020, the FIR was registered only in January 2021.
“Even at the remand stage, the prosecution’s case was that the incident occurred on January 24, 2020, in Nagpada. But the FIR shows it was registered on January 26, 2021. The accused was shown arrested on January 25, 2021,” the court observed, adding that the one-year delay in filing the FIR was never explained by the prosecution.
Counterfeit Notes Examination Delayed
The court further said that the counterfeit notes were sent to the Currency Note Press in Nashik after a year-long delay, again without any explanation. “These lapses completely shake the case of the prosecution,” the order stated.
Investigation Flaws And Inconsistencies
According to the prosecution, Nagpada police received a tip-off around 10pm that a man carrying fake currency was expected near a bus stop opposite a mall. Acting on the information, a trap was laid, and Suthar was spotted with a black bag containing 1,051 counterfeit Rs 500 notes.
Seven prosecution witnesses – all part of the trap team – were examined, but the court found several inconsistencies. It noted that police did not submit case diaries detailing the receipt of information or provide CCTV footage from the location.
The court also raised doubts about police conduct, pointing out that although Suthar was shown to have been taken to Delhi on January 28, 2021, he appeared at a Mumbai hospital for a medical examination the next day.
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“The prosecution has not explained how the accused was back in Mumbai within 24 hours when it is not their case that he was brought by flight,” the court said.
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