After 26 years, man acquitted of kidnapping boy

Mumbai: After 26 years a six-year-old boy was kidnapped for ransom, the metropolitan magistrate court at Bandra has acquitted his alleged kidnapper as the only witness examined by the prosecution failed to identify the accused

Mumbai: After 26 years a six-year-old boy was kidnapped for ransom, the metropolitan magistrate court at Bandra has acquitted his alleged kidnapper as the only witness examined by the prosecution failed to identify the accused.

The case, however, remained in cold storage till January 2021. (Getty Images)

According to the prosecution, 6-year-old Mohammed Ummar was kidnapped from his school on December 11, 1996. Altaf Abdul Latif, Ummar’s uncle, the brother of his father Aaftab Abdul Latif, had lodged a complaint of kidnapping with the Bandra police station.

At that point after receipt of the complaint, the accused called the family for ransom. The police soon arranged a trap, traced the accused and the boy was rescued sound and safe and reunited with his family.

The accused was identified as Imran Ali Ansari, a Dharavi resident. The police after the probe filed a charge sheet against Ansari on January 27, 1997 – within a month of the incident.

The case, however, remained in cold storage till January 30, 2021, for some unknown reasons.

The first witness, Aaftab was examined on September 12 this year. After around 26 years, Aaftab told the court that he did not remember what exactly happened at that time. Also, he said that his brother and complainant in the case, Altaf died in the meanwhile.

Besides, he said, Umar’s uncle and the complainant in the case, Altaf had lodged a case against Ansari several years before. He claimed that he could not identify Ansari, nor could he narrate the sequence of events of the incident before the court. Moreover, Latif said, Umar is now settled in New Zealand and he is not able to come to India to depose in the case.

The prosecution closed the case without examining any further witnesses, as it did not have any other evidence to prove the guilt of the accused.