All 7 acquitted in NRI businessman Manoj
Patel's murder case
Vadodara, December 29, 2005
UNI
A fast-track court has acquitted all the seven accused
in the contract killing of US-based NRI businessman
Manoj Patel here in April, 2004, due to lack of evidence.
The NRI, while driving to his sister's house on April
four last year, was shot dead from a point blank range
by two sharp shooters, allegedly hired for a sum of
Rs 5 lakh by his NRI business rival Navrang Bhrahmabhatt.
On the basis of a confessional statement of Navrang's
Vadodara-based brother, Pradeep Brahmbhatt, Detection
Crime Branch (DCB) officers had arrested six others,
including two criminals--Kalpesh Kachina and Kiran
Jingar--and two alleged contract killers--Sunil Sharma
and Iqbal Bablu.
During the trial,24 of the 27 witnesses turned hostile
and prime conspirator Pradeep Brahmabhatt denied he
had ever confessed to his involvement Patel's murder.
Pronouncing his verdict yesterday, fast-track court
judge N P Purani ordered acquittal of all the accused
saying the prosecution had failed to produce enough
circumstantial evidence in the case.
