Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case: Two witnesses not found

After two more witnesses turned hostile, the prosecution is now faced with the problem of absconding key witnesses.

After two more witnesses in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounter case turned hostile, the prosecution is now faced with the problem of absconding key witnesses.

The duo had told the CBI that there was a threat to Prajapati’s life after Shaikh’s encounter. (HT file photo)

The prosecution is unable to trace Sylvester and Azam Khan, who were important gang members and had been booked with Shaikh and Prajapati in several cases. The duo had told the CBI that there was a threat to Prajapati’s life after Shaikh’s encounter. Prajapati had been lodged with Khan in Udaipur jail, right before his encounter in 2006.

The two have also been declared as absconders by Rajasthan police and Gujarat police. The agency is now making efforts to trace the two witnesses. Meanwhile, the prosecution has decided to drop retired IPS officer VK Godhika from the list of the witnesses for the time being. Godhika is a witness against the Rajasthan IPS officer, Dinesh MN, who has already been discharged by the court. However, the appeal challenging the discharge order is pending before the Bombay high court.