Thane, Jul 24 A court in Maharashtra’s Thane has acquitted two men accused of running a prostitution racket, citing the failure to examine the victim women and the decoy customer in the nearly 10-year-old case.
Additional Sessions Judge R S Bhakare dropped all charges against Gopalprasad Rajendraprasad Gupta (44) and Rakeshkumar Shamlal Saroj (48), who had been booked under the Indian Penal Code and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.
A copy of the July 21 order was made available on Thursday.
According to the prosecution, police raided a spot on Thane’s Ghodbunder Road in September 2016 and apprehended the accused with two women in an autorickshaw after sending a decoy customer.
However, the judge noted that neither the women nor the decoy customer was examined during the trial.
“... As the victims have not been examined, whatever they have disclosed before the prosecution witnesses is of hearsay in nature. It is weak piece of evidence,” the judge observed.
The court further noted that the prosecution had failed to examine the decoy customer. “So, whatever talks have taken place between the accused and victims can only be stated by them only,” it said.
Referring to the independent witnesses, the court said that they had “acted in several cases”.
Finding no independent corroboration, the court acquitted both accused.
