A principal sessions court judge on Monday convicted a 33-year old man for kidnapping and killing his friend’s 13 year-old cousin to pay money he lost in a bet on an Indian Premier League (IPL) match. The cousin who was also an accused was acquitted because of lack of evidence.
On May 13, 2013, Aditya Ranka, son of a diamond merchant, was kidnapped by Vijesh Sanghvi who later demanded Rs30 lakh to release him.During investigations, the burnt body of Aditya was recovered from bushes near Amba river, Kamsal village, Raigad district.
According to the prosecution, the conduct of Himanshu — Ranka’s cousin — was found suspicious and he was questioned. It was revealed that Himanshu and Sanghvi had lost a huge amount in a bet on an IPL match and they had to repay the dues. Himanshu, who was into steel business, heard that Aditya’s father had made huge profit in a deal, which prompted the two to devise a plan.
According to the police, they zeroed in on Sanghvi and Aditya after scanning CCTV footage. Himanshu was allegedly keeping Sanghvi posted about the Rankas’ move, who had registered a case of kidnapping.
“CCTV footage was the key evidence. The police however, had failed to comply with the mandatory provisions to produce this key evidence in the court against the accused. We had to later call the authorised of the premises to bring the footage and certify them. The court allowed us to call them, failing which the accused would have taken advantage of loopholes,” said special public prosecutor Kalpana Chavan.
{{/usCountry}}“CCTV footage was the key evidence. The police however, had failed to comply with the mandatory provisions to produce this key evidence in the court against the accused. We had to later call the authorised of the premises to bring the footage and certify them. The court allowed us to call them, failing which the accused would have taken advantage of loopholes,” said special public prosecutor Kalpana Chavan.
{{/usCountry}}While CCTV footage nailed Sanghvi, the prosecution could not get enough evidence against Himanshu. “There was no evidence to link Himanshu with the crime,” said advocate Amrish Salunkhe who appeared for Himanshu.
The quantum of sentence would be pronounced on Wednesday.
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