Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja gave life terms to Uttar Pradesh native Aleem Khan alias Karan Singh and Mumbai resident Krishan Shankar Bakde while acquitting nine others in the case. Three other accused had died during pendency of the case.
The court found Aleem guilty of kidnapping the DDA official M C Mahajan after barging into his house on November 23, 2000 night for a ransom of Rs 2 crore. The court also concluded that though it could not be proved that Shankar had also trespassed into the house, it held that he was identified as the one who kept a watch on Mahajan in his captivity.
"The allegations against above named convicts (Aleem and Shankar) have been proved beyond reasonable doubt," said the court terming the offences committed by them as grave and sentencing them to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively.
The prosecution case was that on November 23, 2000 at about 10.30 pm, when Mahajan's wife and daughter had gone out for a walk after dinner, Aleem entered the house armed with a pistol and kidnapped Mahajan with help of four or five other persons and left in a car.
On the way, they blindfolded Mahajan and shifted him into another car and took him to Rajinder Nagar in Central Delhi, where they confined him in a room for three days and also beat him up. They also made a call to his house demanding Rs 2 crore as ransom for his release. (More)
