A local court has acquitted two men in a 2023 snatching case after pointing out glaring lapses in the police investigation. The case had been registered against Aashish Malik of Zirakpur and Amit Kumar of Sector 25 in April 2023.
The incident took place on April 2, 2023, when complainant Tarun Kumar Seth of Sector-20 alleged that two bike-borne men snatched a gold chain from his wife during an evening walk.
In his complaint, Seth stated that darkness prevented him from identifying the assailants or the motorcycle used in the crime. An FIR was registered under Sections 379-A and 34 IPC, but with no clues, the case was declared “untrace” in May 2023.
Later, the Crime Branch, Sector 19, took over the probe and linked the case to Malik and Kumar who were arrested in other snatching cases. The police claimed that the duo had confessed to committing the crime and ₹21,000 cash and the motorcycle used in the crime was also recovered.
However, the court found serious lapses in the police investigation. Most damning was the motorcycle angle, in which the prosecution alleged that the recovered bike was used in the crime in April 2023. But the witnesses, including the vehicle’s owner and the showroom manager claimed that the recovered bike was sold in August 2023 -- five months after the alleged snatching. The court observed this reflected “high-handedness” on the part of the investigating officer who tried to falsely link the bike to the crime.
{{/usCountry}}However, the court found serious lapses in the police investigation. Most damning was the motorcycle angle, in which the prosecution alleged that the recovered bike was used in the crime in April 2023. But the witnesses, including the vehicle’s owner and the showroom manager claimed that the recovered bike was sold in August 2023 -- five months after the alleged snatching. The court observed this reflected “high-handedness” on the part of the investigating officer who tried to falsely link the bike to the crime.
{{/usCountry}}The court also noted that the complainant initially said that neither he or his wife could identify the culprits due to darkness, yet the wife later identified both men in court -- despite never recording such an ability in her police statement. There was no test identification parade (TIP) by the police, further weakening the prosecution’s claim.
Concluding that the prosecution “miserably failed” to prove its case, the court acquitted both on Tuesday.