Mangaluru: Court acquits 2 accused in Rs 2.35 crore robbery case

Mangaluru: The First Additional District and Sessions Court of Mangaluru has acquitted 2 accused in the kidnapping and robbery case involving Rs 2.35 crore.

The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the accused, Abdul Munaf and Mohammed Rajim.

Santosh K, owner of a jewellery store on Car Street, had sent gold bars with his employee Manjunath to Mumbai. Manjunath delivered the gold at Zaveri Bazaar, Mumbai, and was returning to Mangaluru with Rs 2.35 crore in a bag. On October 23, 2018, around 12:20 PM, he alighted at Lady Hill bus stop and was crossing the road to reach the shop when he was kidnapped in an Innova car. He was taken to a secluded area about a kilometer away from Bajpe and robbed him of the bag containing the money.

Subsequently, a charge sheet was filed against the accused. The court had ordered the seized money to be investigated by the Income Tax Department.

The court examined around 16 prosecution witnesses, including fingerprint experts and Assistant Director of the Income Tax Department, Sharif Rashid.

Judge Mallikarjun Swamy, after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defense, ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the charges. Consequently, the accused were acquitted.

Advocates Venu Kumar and Yuvraj K. Ameen represented the accused.