Thane: A sessions court in Thane acquitted four men accused in a 2010 murder case, citing serious lapses in the investigation and the failure of the prosecution to prove charges beyond reasonable doubt.The case pertains to the alleged contract killing of a woman at her residence in Mira Road. According to the prosecution, four intruders entered the house in the evening, and one of them allegedly shot the victim in the chest with a pistol, leading to her death on the spot. An FIR was registered the same day, and the accused were charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, house trespass, and offences under the Arms Act.However, during the trial, the prosecution’s case weakened substantially. The court noted that key eyewitnesses, including close family members of the deceased, failed to identify any of the accused during test identification parades. DNA analysis of bloodstained articles did not match any of the accused, and fingerprints were not lifted from the recovered weapon. Investigators also failed to seize mobile phones allegedly used during the crime or recover bank documents purportedly linked to payment for the killing.The alleged motive of a personal dispute was also found to be unsupported by independent or credible evidence. The court held that the prosecution failed to establish any conspiracy or contract killing arrangement, as no witness testified about when, where, or how such a plan was formed.
