The special court on Thursday sentenced gangster Ejaz Lakdawala to life imprisonment in connection with murder of businessman Farid Makbul Hussain in October 1996. Meanwhile, the alleged key conspirator, Chhota Rajan, was acquitted for want of evidence.
The court on Thursday convicted Lakdawala over circumstantial evidence, whereby the two men who actually had shot Farid were acquitted way back in 1998 by the special court. The prosecution had claimed that Lakdawala was present at the spot, in Farid's office, when the two assailants fired bullets at him. Lakdawala's lawyer Devanand Manerkar said that they will approach the high court once they receive a copy of the detailed order.
As per the prosecution case, on October 7, 1996, at around 6:45pm, Farid was sitting in his office when two assailants entered his office and shot at him. After firing four bullets, the duo managed to escape from the place. However, at 7 pm, two police officials, who were on patrolling duty, caught these two assailants and seized the revolver from them.
Public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat had argued that the forensic reports had confirmed that the bullets recovered from the body of the deceased were fired from the gun recovered from the accused.
Manerkar contended that there was no evidence to connect Lakdawala with the two assailants. The eyewitness of the murder never came forward, he argued.
However, the court has held Lakdawala guilty of being part of the conspiracy.
Farid's brother in his statement had claimed that while he was taking Farid to hospital, the gangster told him that he begged for his life before the assailants but they didn't budge, in fact told Farid that if at all he had to beg he should have to Nana (Rajan). The brother claimed that at that point didn't know who Nana was but later came to know that it was Chhota Rajan.
