Nagpur: In a brazen attempt purportedly to influence judicial proceedings, a key eyewitness in a 2022 murder case was allegedly kidnapped, confined overnight, forced to consume alcohol, and threatened with death to coerce him into giving false testimony before a Nagpur court on Wednesday. The FIR names four accused, including a prominent criminal lawyer, police said.The witness, however, foiled the alleged conspiracy by informing principal district and sessions judge SC Munghate about his ordeal when he appeared in court. Taking serious note of the allegations, the court directed Nagpur Rural police to provide security to the witness until the conclusion of the trial and ordered immediate action against the accused, said sources.According to police, the alleged plot was aimed at helping murder accused Roshan Kargaonkar, who has already been convicted in a 2022 gang rape case. Investigators said Rakesh Mahakalkar (26) and Pradyumna Kurutkar (26), alleged associates of Kargaonkar in the gang rape case who were later acquitted, were among the key conspirators of the kidnapping.Nagpur Rural superintendent of police Harssh A Poddar said three accused have been arrested and their criminal records are being scrutinised to examine whether provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) can be invoked. “Police protection has already been provided to the witness,” Poddar said.Based on the witness’s complaint, Umred Police registered an FIR on July 29 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).According to the FIR, the incident began on the evening of July 28. The witness was at home when Mahakalkar allegedly arrived in a car with two unidentified accomplices between 7.30pm and 8pm. Mahakalkar, who had known the witness for several years, called him outside on the pretext of some work. When the witness declined, he was allegedly forced into the vehicle and taken to Ranbodi village in Umred taluka.Police said the witness was then made to consume alcohol and driven around before being taken to Mahakalkar’s house, where he was confined through the night. The next day, he was scheduled to testify as an eyewitness in a murder case registered at Umred police station in 2022 against Kargaonkar and others.The Times of India is in possession of the FIR.The FIR states that around 3am, the witness attempted to escape after hearing knocks from outside. However, the accused allegedly overpowered him, held him down, covered his mouth, and warned that he would be killed if he tried to flee or raise an alarm. Fearing for his life, he remained captive until morning.Between 6am and 6.30am, the accused allegedly forced him into the same vehicle and drove him to Nagpur. During the journey, one of the accomplices reportedly informed the lawyer over phone that they were bringing the witness to court.After reaching Nagpur district court complex around 9am, the witness was allegedly taken to a room where the lawyer instructed him to deny knowledge of the case, disown his police statement, and claim that police had paid him Rs200-300 to identify the deceased. The lawyer and the other accused allegedly continued pressuring and threatening him to give false evidence.However, on way to the courtroom around 11 am, the witness gathered courage and disclosed the entire kidnapping and torture incident to govt prosecutor and presiding judge. Acting immediately, the court ordered security cover for him.Police said the witness has accused Mahakalkar, Kurutkar, two unidentified associates, and the lawyer of conspiring to lure him with money, illegally confine him, subject him to intimidation, and sabotage the murder trial. Investigators are tracing the vehicle used in the crime, analysing call records, and working to identify the two unidentified accused.Police confirmed the arrests of Rakesh Mahakalkar, Akshay Patil and Pradyumna Kurutkar. A police official said a team has been dispatched to arrest the lawyer named in the FIR.
