Nagpur: In a significant verdict, the district court has acquitted five men in a 23-year-old motorcycle theft case filed under the jurisdiction of Sadar Police Station. The court cited lack of evidence as the reason for declaring all accused not guilty.
The case dates back to the night of December 4-5, 2001, when complainant Pankaj Ravi Gupta alleged that his motorcycle, which was parked and locked outside his residence at Gandhi Chowk in Sadar, was stolen. He suspected five individuals of conspiring to steal the bike and filed an FIR accordingly.
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29 May 2025
Weak Evidence from Prosecution
During the trial, police conducted a panchanama (spot inspection) and submitted a charge sheet to the court. However, the prosecution produced only one witness, Bholumal Chandwani, who admitted that he was not present at the spot when the police conducted the panchanama.
The court noted that simply stating the motorcycle was locked outside the house was not sufficient. It was the prosecution’s responsibility to prove beyond doubt that the accused were involved in the theft — something it failed to do.
Verdict Delivered in Absence of Accused
The court also observed that the accused had been absent for several years during the hearing, which caused an unreasonable delay in the trial. Hence, the verdict was delivered in their absence.
The Acquitted Accused
The five accused — Suryaprakash Tiwari (resident of Kamptee), Manoj Gharade, Vikal Irshad Ahmed Sheikh Alauddin, Santosh Yadav, and Sham Bala — were charged by police in 2001. After a 23-year-long trial, the court finally declared them innocent due to lack of evidence.
