Hey there, Pune folks! Here’s the scoop on the latest news in town. So, remember that 2017 robbery-cum-murder case involving two engineering students in Lonavla? Well, the plot thickens as the eatery owner Salim Shaikh has been acquitted by Principal District and Sessions Judge Mahendra Mahajan. The reason? Apparently, there were inconsistencies in the witness testimonies and a lack of scientific evidence. Looks like Shaikh’s minor accomplice is still facing trial by Juvenile Justice Board.
But hold up, the judge didn’t hold back in criticizing the Pune Rural police for not using scientific methods, like DNA analysis, to gather evidence. The two students, a final-year mechanical engineering guy and a computer engineering gal, were found murdered in a forest area near Tiger Point back in 2017. Their phones and a gold chain were nowhere to be found.
Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam is not taking this verdict lying down. He’s planning to appeal the decision in the Bombay High Court, claiming that there’s strong circumstantial evidence and 29 witnesses to back it up. But Judge Mahajan wasn’t buying it. He pointed out flaws in the prosecution’s case, like a confession recorded two months after the incident and some fishy business with the victims’ phones and gold chain.
Defense lawyer Afroz Shaikh didn’t mince words either. He argued that the prosecution’s case relied too much on circumstantial evidence without solid proof of the accused’s guilt. There were discrepancies in the forensic evidence, like the lack of scientific methods used to collect samples and crucial tests that were overlooked by the forensic expert.
Looks like this case is far from over, Pune peeps. Stay tuned for more updates on this double murder mystery!
Thanks For Reading Report of Punepress.com