MUMBAI: A court in Mumbai has refused to grant bail to a defendant linked to the 2021 murder case of a student.
The court cited the ongoing police investigation aimed at locating the victim's body as a critical factor. Additional Sessions Judge Priya Bankar, on October 3, rejected the bail application of Abdul Ansari, who had been apprehended on charges related to murder and the destruction of evidence under the Indian Penal Code.
The police arrested Ansari, along with the primary accused, Mithu Singh, in connection with the student's tragic demise.
According to law enforcement authorities, the victim was en route to take an exam on November 29, 2021, but unexpectedly disembarked at Bandra railway station. She did not attend the exam and was last spotted in the Bandra Bandstand area.
When the young woman failed to return home and could not be reached on her mobile phone, her parents reported her as missing to the local police station.
Subsequent investigations indicated that the victim had been seen at Bandra Bandstand, where she had an encounter with Singh and even took a selfie with him.
The police further claimed that there were phone conversations between Singh and Ansari, during which the latter used inappropriate language and encouraged Singh's questionable actions with the woman.
The police alleged that Ansari was aware of why Singh had taken the victim to that location. Their investigations suggested that he was cognizant of Singh's involvement in the murder and his knowledge of how the body was disposed of.
Additional Public Prosecutor Ashwini Raykar opposed Ansari's plea for bail, contending that the witnesses in the case were his colleagues and acquaintances, raising concerns that if Ansari were released on bail, he might influence and intimidate the prosecution witnesses.
Ansari, on the other hand, argued that the allegations only pointed to Singh's participation in the crime. There was no evidence to indicate that Ansari had assisted in disposing of the victim's body, his lawyer Harshman Chavan emphasized.
After considering the arguments from both sides, the court acknowledged that the ongoing investigation to recover the woman's body was a crucial factor that could not be disregarded.
"The allegations suggest that the accused is aware of how the deceased's body was disposed of. Given this information, the prosecution's concerns in this regard are not unfounded," the court stated.
The court recognized that the allegations against the accused were of a serious nature. Moreover, it emphasized that the police had made the arrests after a thorough investigation into the crime. "There is prima facie evidence of the accused's involvement in the crime. Additionally, the apprehension that the accused may interfere with witnesses and evidence cannot be dismissed," the court concluded while rejecting the bail application.
(With agency inputs)
