After 4 years in jail, man acquitted in murder case

Khan was caught in June, 2012 while his two accomplices remained absconding.

A 24-year-old murder accused was acquitted by the City Civil and Sessions Court on Wednesday. The man allegedly murdered a catering contractor in Bhuleshwar in 2012. However, the case collapsed after a forensic report concluded that the murder weapon seized from him could not have caused the injuries, apart from doctors pointing out that the time of death did not match the account of an eyewitness to the crime.

The police had told the court that 67-year-old Parmeshwar Naidu, a Bhuleshwar-based catering contractor, was killed in February, 2012 by three of his employees – Vazir Khan, Samrat and Sujeet. According to the prosecution, the trip attacked Naidu at his home around 2 am because of a monetary dispute. Khan was caught in June, 2012 while his two accomplices remained absconding.

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Khan’s lawyer Prakash Salsangikar argued in the court that Naidu’s neighbour, eyewitness to the crime, had gone to VP Road police station at the night the crime took place, but the police recorded his statement four months later when Khan was nabbed.

The eyewitness deposed in the court that Khan’s back was turned towards him when he stabbed Naidu. “The eyewitness told the court that he had seen two men attacking Naidu, but the police had charged three men with the murder,” Salsangiksar said,.

The defence also pointed to the post-mortem report of Naidu’s body, which ruled that he had been killed 5-7 hours earlier. The postmortem had been conducted at 4 pm.

“A knife, which was sharp on only one side was also recovered from Khan. But a forensic report concluded that Naidu’s injuries could not have been caused using it, but had been caused by a knife that was sharp on both sides,” Salsangikar said.

Judge SM Bhosle released Khan after making him sign a personal bond of Rs 15,000.

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