Thane court acquits couple in 2017 double murder case over weak evidence

A sessions court in Maharashtra has acquitted a couple from Rajasthan in a double murder case of 2017, citing insufficient and inconclusive evidence, reported news agency PTI.

The couple`s minor daughter was also made an accused, and her case is with the juvenile court.

In his order of June 23, a copy of which was made available on Thursday, Sessions Judge A N Sirsikar raised several questions on the prosecution`s case before giving relief to the accused, identified as Ali Akbar Abujar Kachwala and Amina Ismail Shaikh, reported PTI.

As per the prosecution, a woman named Naziya and her 11-year-old daughter were found dead with their throats slit at their home in Mumbra near Thane in November 2017. Cash,

jewellery

and a mobile phone worth Rs 1.11 lakh were reported stolen.

The prosecution alleged the couple`s daughter had earlier worked as a maid in the victims` house. Its case relied on circumstantial evidence, including the alleged presence of the accused and the juvenile near the crime scene, and the recovery of the "stolen" items and a weapon, reported PTI.

Advocate Saghar Kolhe, who represented the accused, contested the prosecution`s theory and the investigation itself.

Judge Sirsikar noted that the CCTV footage that the prosecution relied on could not establish the identity of the accused. The footage shows a woman in a burkha, while the man`s face is blurry, he said, reported PTI.