Man held for 'killing' ex-girlfriend acquitted after 3 years; victim body was found in gunny bag

Mumbai, Sep 22 (PTI) A Mumbai court on Monday acquitted a 25-year-old man in the 2022 murder case of his former girlfriend, whose body was found stuffed in a bag on Versova beach in the western suburbs.

Additional Sessions Judge (Dindoshi Court ) D G Dhoble acquitted the accused, Shahazeb Ansari, of charges under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.

According to the prosecution, the body of a woman, aged about 25, was discovered in a plastic gunny bag on Versova beach on April 28, 2022. The deceased was later identified as one Sonam Shukla, a resident of suburban Goregaon.

She was strangled with an internet wire with her hands and legs also tied with the same cable. Police arrested accused Ansari on April 30, 2022, on the basis of technical probe involving mobile phone calls, chats and also by questioning her kin.

Ansari had been under detention since then.

Probe revealed the two were in a relationship which later soured. The police chargesheet concluded the accused murdered Shukla on account of a dispute in their love affair, the prosecution said.

However, advocate Mahesh Jadhav, appearing for the accused, in his final arguments submitted the prosecution case solely rested on circumstantial evidence.

"Therefore, it was for the prosecution to adduce cogent, concrete and reliable evidence to bring home guilt of the accused by establishing circumstances," the defence argued during the trial.

Advocate Jadhav stressed that prosecution has not brought on record the motive of the accused to commit murder either by oral or documentary evidence. They even failed to prove there was any motive of the accused behind allegedly committing the crime.

On the last seen theory, cited by the prosecution, the defence contended that "Nobody had seen the deceased in the company of the accused before she went missing".

The court, after clearing the accused of all charges, said he shall be set at liberty forthwith if not required in any other case. PTI AVI RSY