Thane, Dec 22: The Thane Sessions Court has acquitted a 24-year-old tailor accused of murdering his stepmother-in-law in 2020 and allegedly disposing of her body near the Kalwa bridge, holding that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond reasonable doubt due to a lack of credible evidence.
The court observed that the police could not place on record cogent, reliable and legally admissible material to prove the chain of circumstances against the accused.
Accused Arrested In 2020 Murder Case
The accused, Shahnawaz Yunus Ansari, a resident of Rabodi, was arrested for the alleged murder of Reshma Khatun Mohd Yunus Ansari, who was found dead a day after she was reported missing.
According to the prosecution, Reshma Khatun was allegedly killed by slitting her throat with a knife. An FIR was lodged on May 29, 2020, by the victim’s brother, Mohd Anis Sharafat Hussain Ansari, at the Rabodi Police Station.
Sequence Of Events Before Victim Went Missing
As per the FIR, Mohd Anis stated that he had visited his sister’s house on the morning of May 28, 2020, spent some time with her and her family, and left shortly thereafter. Later that evening, around 8 pm, the victim’s biological son, Afzal Ansari, informed him that she had been missing since 6.30 pm.
After searching for her through the night, a missing complaint was lodged. Subsequently, the police called the family to Kalwa bridge, where a dead body was found and identified on the basis of the victim’s belongings.
Last Seen Theory Rejected By Court
The prosecution claimed that the accused was arrested on the theory of “last seen together”, as he was allegedly seen with the victim shortly before her disappearance. However, during the trial, the court found serious inconsistencies and material improvements in the testimony of key witnesses.
While examining the evidence of the complainant, Mohd Anis Ansari, the court noted that his claim that the accused had taken the victim in a rickshaw at around 6 pm on May 28, 2020, was vague and had not been mentioned in the FIR. The court held that this omission amounted to a material improvement, rendering his testimony unreliable.
Eyewitness And CCTV Evidence Discredited
Another alleged eyewitness, Mehboob Shaikh, who was said to have seen the accused and the victim together in a rickshaw, did not support the prosecution case. The court also expressed serious reservations about the CCTV evidence relied upon by the prosecution.
Technician Nachiket Shinde, who extracted the CCTV footage and issued a certificate under Section 65-B of the Evidence Act, admitted in cross-examination that the data centre from which the footage was extracted was not maintained by him and that the police prepared the certificate, which he “merely signed”. The court held that such evidence was inconsequential and could not be relied upon.
Recovery Of Weapon And Articles Found Doubtful
The recovery of the alleged weapon, bloodstained clothes, ornaments and the auto-rickshaw at the instance of the accused was also found to be doubtful.
Panch witnesses Firoj Shaikh and Manoj Gupta gave vague and inconsistent statements, and both admitted during cross-examination that the panchanamas were prepared and signed at the police station.
The court held that in a case based purely on circumstantial evidence, such recoveries, unsupported by credible and independent testimony, were wholly insufficient to establish guilt.
Key Witnesses Failed To Support Prosecution
The prosecution examined 16 witnesses in total, but none supported its case. The owner of the rickshaw allegedly used by the accused did not corroborate the prosecution’s version, and even the victim’s husband, Mohd Yunus Ansari, failed to support the case.
While he stated during cross-examination by the prosecution that the accused “might have” killed the victim, he categorically admitted that he had no personal knowledge of the incident.
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Broken Chain Of Circumstances Leads To Acquittal
Taking into account the broken chain of circumstances, lack of reliable “last seen” evidence, doubtful recoveries and procedural lapses by the police, the Sessions Court held that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted the accused.
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