BANGALORE: The High Court acquitted five youths booked by the police for a dacoity attempt and assault on police officers with dangerous weapons after it found several unanswered questions in the prosecution’s case.
According to the case registered with High Grounds Police, on March 8, 2004, seven people had assembled at Fun World, an Amusement park in Palace Grounds.
They were near a go-karting pavilion armed with deadly weapons and were allegedly prepared to commit dacoity.
The police apparently received information of the same and arrived on the scene.
Just as the police were about to arrest them, Tanveer, one of the accused, allegedly drove his car straight at the police officers.
The police managed to halt the car and there was exchange of fire.
The police arrested Tanveer, Mohammed Ayub, Athush, Sajjad and Shakeer and recovered a revolver, six bullets, a 3.5 mm country-made pistol, two knives and five mobile phones.
After the trial, the fast-track court in Bangalore convicted the accused in September 2007.
Challenging this conviction, the accused had moved High Court.
The court, while evaluating the case and evidence produced by the prosecution, doubted the reality of the incident due to several discrepancies and grey areas in the theory of the prosecution.
The court, acquitting the five accused, observed that the very sequence of events was not convincingly portrayed by the prosecution.
On the other hand, it was demonstrated that the testimonies of several witnesses were ridden with inconsistencies and infirmities which do not evoke the confidence of the court to hold that the prosecution had established its case against the accused beyond all reasonable doubt and they were acquitted of all charges.