A SPECIAL court on Wednesday acquired five persons, including two Mumbai Police officials, who were booked in 2004 for allegedly planting drugs and a weapon on an estate agent in collusion with a builder.
The case dates back to 2004 when drugs including 340 grams of heroin and a weapon were seized from the estate agent by officials of the Dongri police station. During his interrogation by the then DCP, irregularities were allegedly noticed in the probe and the case was transferred to MRA Marg police. After the agent spent 150 days in jail, a probe revealed that he was falsely implicated and the case against him was closed. He then filed a complaint against the builder, Ravindranath Shelatkar, PSI Rajendra Bhosale, head constable Rajendra Sawant and others.
The police had alleged that Bhosale, who was acquired on Wednesday, along with others went to the spot to arrest the agent.
The police had alleged that the builder owed the estate agent money to the tune of Rs 70 lakh and wanted him implicated. Shelatkar was also among those acquired on Wednesday.
Bhosale’s lawyer, Dilip Mishra, had submitted before the special court that there was no documentary proof to show that Shelatkar owed money to the estate agent, which was alleged to be the motive of the entire case. He also submitted that no sanction was received to prosecute Bhosale, who was a serving police officer. It was also submitted that while the FIR was filed in 2006 against the accused, they were arrested only in 2010. The defense also raised the issue that the police had not examined the then DCP who had questioned the agent and the senior police inspector of Dongri police station. Special Judge VV Patil acquired the accused for lack of evidence.
The five accused were acquitted on charges including criminal conspiracy, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement along with other sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
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