After 12 years of trial, a Delhi court has acquitted alleged underworld don Babloo Srivastava and his three associates, including Fazlu-ur-Rehman, in a 2003 kidnapping-cum-ransom case, advocate for the accused, J P Bansal, told The Hindu .
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell had charged the accused with kidnapping Delhi-based businessman Sheetal Prasad Singh for ransom from the Lucknow Airport in 2003.
The accused were tried under Sections 364A (kidnapping for ransom), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt in order to commit extortion) of the Indian Penal Code.
Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh acquitted Om Prakash Srivastava alias Babloo Srivastava, Fazlu-ur-Rehman alias Fazlu, an alleged associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Pradeep Kumar Khurana and Jitender Singh of the charges, giving them the benefit of the doubt.
The prosecution had failed to prove the case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt, the Judge said.
According to prosecution, Mr. Singh had in 2003 lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police that Babloo had asked him to come to the Lucknow Jail. When he reached the Lucknow Airport, Fazlu-Ur-Rehman and his accomplices kidnapped him and took him to the jail where Babloo threatened and asked him to pay Rs. 25 lakh, promising that he would broker peace with one of his business rivals, the complaint said.
