Five accused of killing and robbing man, acquitted of charges

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Tiwari let off Delhi residents Zuber Khan, Zakir Hussain, Opli Mannikan, Manjeet Singh and Gulzar of the charges of killing and robbing Shiv Nath Prasad, who used to work as a plant engineer at the Canadian High Commission here.

"There is no circumstance marshaled against the accused (all five) to link them with the alleged offence. In view of the said discussion, the prosecution has miserably failed to establish even a single link in the chain of circumstances, what to talk of making a complete chain unmistakably pointing out towards the guilt of the accused," said ASJ Tiwari, letting off the five.

The prosecution had said the accused were arrested in November 2008 in a different case. During the probe, they, however, had allegedly said that they had stabbed Shiv after he had resisted their attempt to rob him of his money and other valuables.

They had also disclosed to the police that they had taken Shiv's mobile phone and ATM cards after he had died.

The police had initially received a missing person's complaint from the deceased's father on October 19, 2008.

Shiv's father had told the police his son who had left for work on the fateful day had not reached his office nor returned back home.

The day after the complaint was lodged by the victim's father, Shiv's body was recovered from a pit in North West Delhi, the prosecution had said.