Mumbai: The special court has allowed the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to obtain blood samples for a DNA test of alleged Naxal operative Prashant Jalindar Kamble to confirm his identity. The request was made by public prosecutor Jaysingh Desai. The court observed that a DNA test is the best method to establish Kamble’s true identity, given that he allegedly used several aliases such as Rohit, Laptop, Madhu, and Sunil.
Kamble was absconding for 15 years before the Maharashtra ATS arrested him last year for his alleged links with Maoists. He was named as a wanted person in a case registered by the ATS in 2011, wherein several members of Kabir Kala Manch were booked along with others, including Angela Teltumbde, wife of Milind Teltumbde, who was among the 26 Maoists killed in 2021. The ATS claimed that Kamble lived in Khopoli under the alias Sunil Chandrakant Jagtap and was recently found travelling to Pune.
The agency claimed it needs to establish if Kamble and Jagtap are the same person. The prosecution contended that Kamble used some of the aforementioned aliases to create forged documents. The defence argued that a DNA test is not needed as Kamble is not disputing his identity as ‘Prashant Kamble’. However, in the interest of justice, the defence gave “no objection” to the collection of blood samples.
The court noted that if a person impersonates and prepares false government documents – not once but many times – the identity of that person must be established by cogent and satisfactory evidence. “When that person is particularly accused of various serious offences, the investigating agency’s task to establish identity is quite difficult,” the court said.
“Though the accused has admitted his identity as Prashant Jalindar Kamble, he has not admitted to being Sunil Chandrakant Jagtap. It is alleged that under the alias of Jagtap, Kamble fabricated a passport and other documents. To establish that these two names belong to the same person, scientific evidence would help,” the court said.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
