‘Who killed our daughter then?’: Victim’s family asks after man acquitted in 2014 techie rape-murder case

The victim’s uncle said that the family was unaware that the Supreme Court had been hearing the case and learnt about the acquittal through media reports.

“We had no idea the accused had approached the Supreme Court. This morning, we saw on the news that he is now a free man,” he said.

“This decision feels like an insult. We’ve endured so much over the years, and now this. We were certain that justice would prevail,” the woman’s uncle added.

The software engineer from Hyderabad had gone missing after alighting from a long-distance train at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) railway station on January 5, 2014. She had returned to Mumbai after spending Christmas with her parents in Hyderabad. The police arrested and booked Sanap nearly two months later.

More than a decade later, the Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Sanap, who was sentenced to death by lower courts that found him guilty on charges of rape, murder, and for causing disappearance of evidence.

The victim’s uncle highlighted that the conviction in the lower courts was based on multiple witnesses and crucial pieces of evidence.

“The lower court’s judgment was made after a thorough review of the evidence. We followed the proceedings closely, and when the Bombay High Court upheld the verdict, we believed justice had been served. We are shocked with the SC’s judgment which states that there is insufficient evidence. Does this mean the lower court didn’t properly assess the case?” he asked.

The techie’s uncle said that her father was “deeply affected” by the verdict.

“It feels like they are reopening old wounds. We’ve been living with this grief for so long, and now this ruling has made it feel as though the pain is new again.”

The family was yet to decide on their future course of action.

Stating the justice has not been served for their loss, the victim’s uncle added: “We are very sad. Very sad.”