The Mahila Court in Visakhapatnam acquitted all the four accused in the murder case of a 16-year-old girl R Ashwini Mrudula in the absence of concrete evidence, here on Tuesday.
It may be recalled that the murder took place on March 29, 2011, at Dondaparti area in the city and it had sent shockwaves among Vizagites. Intermediate first-year student Ashwini Mrudula was killed under suspicious circumstances in her apartment. She was found in a pool of blood in the bathroom with her throat slit open.
A few weeks after the murder, the police arrested four youngsters who had allegedly committed the murder to tide over debts. The prime accused Chintala Ramakrishna alias Sivaramakrishna, who has a saloon in Dondaparti, had reportedly committed the crime along with Mangalagiri Kalyanram, Mangalagiri Prateep Kumar and Chana Srinivasa Rao to clear his debts.
The police had submitted a charge-sheet in the case. Based on the charge-sheet filed by the Fourth Town police, the trial was conducted. Sources in the legal fraternity said prosecution had failed to substantiate the authenticity of the evidence produced by them to prove charges of murder.
All the four accused in the case were acquitted on Tuesday.
Expressing much displeasure over the acquittal of the accused, family members of Ashwini Mrudula said they would approach the higher court to get justice.
