Soumya murder accused let off in theft case

NEW DELHI: Two men, accused in the Soumya Vishwanathan and Jigisha Ghosh murder cases, have been acquitted in a separate vehicle theft case by a trial court, which said there were several unexplained “inconsistencies” in the police probe.
Ravi Kapoor and his accomplice Amit Shukla are facing trial for allegedly gunning down journalist Soumya Vishwanathan (then 25) when she was driving home on the night of September 30, 2008.The two men were acquitted of the charges of stealing a car and using it with fake number plates.
“There were a lot of inconsistencies on record, not explained by prosecution. The doubt is raised regarding recovery of case property (vehicle) at the instance of accused Ravi Kapoor,” said Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit, pointing out that the police probe was faulty. “It goes in favour of the accused. Hence, both of them namely Ravi Kapoor and Amit Kumar Shukla are acquitted for the offence charged,” the court said.
Kapoor and Shukla are also facing trial for murdering IT executive Jigisha Ghosh after robbing her on March 18, 2010. The two were accused of stealing a Tavera car of complainant Bansi Lal from Sarojini Nagar on March 15, 2009. They were also charged with using a fake number plate. The judge said police record showed two number plates were seized from the vehicle, but they never produced them in court.