Mohali: 50-year-old woman acquitted due to prosecution contradictions in chain-snatching case

The court noted that no document or record was produced to show that the matter was reported on the day of the alleged occurrence

A Mohali court has acquitted a 50-year-old woman in a decade-old chain-snatching case, citing an unexplained eight-month delay in reporting the incident and prosecution contradictions that created “serious doubt”.

During the trial, witnesses were examined including the complainant and investigating officer ASI Baljit Singh. (HT Photo for representation)

The case was registered at Zirakpur police station against Harjinder Kaur and co-accused Rani. The incident dates back to September 9, 2015, when complainant Minakshi Ahuja alleged that while she was waiting for a bus to go to PGIMER, Chandigarh, a car stopped near her with two women and a boy inside.

She alleged that they persuaded her to sit in the vehicle on the pretext of dropping her at the hospital and later took her gold chain and pendant before leaving her near a market. However, the complaint was filed on May 6, 2016, nearly eight months after the alleged incident.

The court noted that no document or record was produced to show that the matter was reported on the day of the alleged occurrence. “It observed that such a delay, when unexplained, weakens the prosecution case and raises doubt about the veracity of allegations,” the court noted.

During the trial, witnesses were examined including the complainant and investigating officer ASI Baljit Singh. The court found material inconsistencies in their statements regarding how and where the accused was identified and how the alleged recovery of the gold chain was effected.

The court observed that the complainant gave differing versions about identifying the accused and handing over documents, while the investigating officer’s account did not support her claims. It also noted that no proof of ownership of the gold chain was placed on record, and no independent witnesses were associated during the alleged recovery, despite it being carried out from a residential area.

The court further noted the complainant’s cross-examination, where her statement regarding being forcibly taken in the car was inconsistent, adding to the doubt.

Referring to settled principles of criminal law, the court held that the burden lies on the prosecution to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt through reliable evidence. It emphasised that suspicion, however strong, cannot take the place of proof.

Finding that the prosecution failed to establish the charges, the court extended the benefit of doubt to Harjinder Kaur and acquitted her. The trial against co-accused Rani, who has been declared a proclaimed offender, will proceed upon her arrest.