‘Flawed probe’: Two snatching accused set free by Panchkula court
No test identification parade (TIP) was conducted before a magistrate as required by law. Instead, the complainant was shown only the two accused at the Crime Branch office, without any persons of similar appearance — rendering the identification unreliable.
A Panchkula court has acquitted two men accused in a 2024 snatching case, citing major lapses in the police investigation and contradictions in the evidence.
Vikas, alias Vicky, and Ajay Kumar, both 27 and residents of Mubarikpur in Dera Bassi, were booked for allegedly snatching ₹10,800 from complainant Chhatarpal on February 16, 2024.
The court observed that the prosecution failed to prove the identity of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. No test identification parade (TIP) was conducted before a magistrate as required by law. Instead, the complainant was shown only the two accused at the Crime Branch office, without any persons of similar appearance — rendering the identification unreliable. The court also noted that the complainant had not described the snatchers’ physical features in his initial statement.
Further inconsistencies emerged between the FIR and the complainant’s testimony. The FIR stated that four boys were involved — two on a motorcycle and two on foot — while in court the complainant claimed only two boys on a motorcycle were present, omitting mention of the other two altogether.
The court also rejected the alleged recovery of ₹1,500 from Ajay and ₹1,000 from Vikas. The investigating officer admitted he did not include any independent witness during the recovery in Meerapur, despite the area being densely populated, violating Section 100(4) of the CrPC. Moreover, the prosecution failed to prove that the recovered currency was the same money stolen, as the notes had no identifiable markings.
Given the failure to establish identity and link the recovered items to the crime, the court ruled that the recovery of the motorcycle —registered in Ajay Kumar’s name — was irrelevant to the case. Consequently, both accused were set free on December 8.
