The sensational case of kidnap and murder of 16-year-old Adnan Patrawala, son of a city-based businessman, has taken a new turn with the trial court rejecting the plea of a prime accused that he was a minor at the time of the crime.
The sensational case of kidnap and murder of 16-year-old Adnan Patrawala, son of a city-based businessman, has taken a new turn with the trial court rejecting the plea of a prime accused that he was a minor at the time of the crime.
Adnan was allegedly kidnapped and killed by four youngsters, on August 19, 2007. They had telephoned Adnan's parents to demand a ransom of Rs two crore and warned to murder the boy if they reported to police.
Ultimately, they killed the victim after learning from media that police had registered a case. One of the accused, Ayush Bhatt, had taken the plea that he was a minor at the relevant time and hence he could not be prosecuted by the sessions court along with other accused. If the sessions court had accepted his plea then he would have been sent to a juvenile court and escaped harsh punishment.
Additional Sessions Judge RG Avachat yesterday rejected Bhatt's plea after Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam submitted documents to show that Bhatt was above 18 years when the crime was allegedly committed by him.
Bhatt had gone for bone ossification test to determine his age and a doctor from Grant Medical College at J.J Hospital had given a report recently that he was between 17 to 19 years now.
This strengthened Bhatt's claim that he was below 18 years at the time of Patrawala's murder and therefore a juvenile.
Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, however, gave a new twist to the case by submitting school leaving certificate of Bhatt which showed that he was born on April 10, 1988, and was now 21.
The prosecutor also examined four witnesses to prove that Bhatt was not a minor at the relevant time. One witness was a nurse of the maternity home in Gondia where Bhatt was born, the other was a clerk at birth registration office and the rest were teachers of the school where Bhatt studied.
The court also disbelieved the claim of Dr Kamble who concluded in the bone ossification test of Bhatt, saying he was now 17 to 19 years. Prosecutor Nikam argued that the ossification test was not a conclusive evidence and placed age proof documents to show that Bhatt was not a minor at the relevant time.
Adnan had a passion for fast driving and had taken his father's Skoda car for a drive on August 19, 2007, with his friends.
Adnan had first met them at a pool club in a mall and later kept in touch on social networking website 'Orkut'.
The four - Sujit Nair, Rajeev Dharaiya, Amit Kaushal and Ayush Bhatt - who went with Adnan in his car, had planned his kidnap. They telephoned Adnan's father to pay Rs two crore ransom and refrain from telling police or else they threatened to kill the boy.
Adnan's parents lodged police complaint but the news was leaked out to media and the kidnappers then executed their plan to murder him.
Adnan's body was found abandoned in his car on Palm beach Road in Navi Mumbai.
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