Two get life imprisonment for kidnapping ex-DDA official

According to the prosecution,Delhi resident M C Mahajan was kidnapped from his home at gunpoint in November 2000 by a group of men. The kidnappers kept him in confinement for about 20 days and demanded a ransom of Rs 2 crore.

Mahajan testified in court that he had been forced to wear “blind goggles” and was kept in a house for three days before being moved to another location. He said the kidnappers assaulted him with rods till he fell unconscious. Police later found out that that he was held hostage in a house in Rajinder Nagar.

Mahajan was finally released in December 2000. Based on his testimony,Aleem Khan,Krishna Shankar and others were arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy,kidnapping and causing hurt.

Three of the 14 accused have since died in “encounters” with the police as they were “members of criminal gangs”.

ASJ Baweja convicted Khan,who was identified by Mahajan as the person who had barged into his house,and Shankar,who was accused of being “one of the persons who had kept an eye on the victim at the place where he was held”.

The court noted that though there were certain discrepancies in Mahajan’s testimony against Shankar,there was enough evidence to hold him guilty of being involved in the criminal conspiracy to kidnap Mahajan.

The court held that “the allegations against the two have been proved beyond reasonable doubt. “The offences are grave,” the judge said.

The remaining accused were acquitted on the ground that the victim had been unable to identify any of them and that Mahajan had admitted that he had been informed about the names,identities and locations of some of the accused by the police.