4 acquitted in kidnapping case after spending decade in jail

Abdul Khan,Rahul Surwade,Nabi Shah and Raganath Chavan were lodged in Nashik Central jail since 2001.The defence lawyer had argued that while the boy,Dinesh Patil,was only nine years old,the body found by police was of a boy of 14-15 years of age.“Looking at the discrepancy in age and height,it will not be possible to accept the case of the prosecution that body recovered by Turbhe police was that of the deceased boy,” the court held. Dinesh was kidnapped in 2001 and ransom of Rs 1 lakh was demanded.Turbhe police said the four accused killed him and threw the body into a stormwater drain in Navi Mumbai.