Mumbai, Mar 27 (PTI) A court here on Friday acquitted five Haryana police personnel, including a then sub-inspector, and two others booked for the alleged fake encounter of gangster Sandeep Gadoli at a hotel in Mumbai in 2016.
Additional sessions judge Prashant Kale found the accused not guilty of charges under section 302 (murder) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code.
Gadoli was killed in an alleged shootout by the Gurugram police at a hotel in Andheri East on February 7, 2016.
The “notorious” gangster was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head and was wanted in more than 40 FIRs registered since 1999.
Police arrested eight persons, including five policemen, Gadoli’s “girlfriend”, late Divya Pahuja, her mother and rival gang leader Virendra Gujjar in connection with the killing.
The accused cops included Pradyuman Yadav (then sub-inspector), Vikram Singh, Jitendra Yadav, Deepak Kakran and Paramjeet Ahlawat.
According to the police, Gadoli had been lured into a trap with the help of Pahuja and killed in a fake encounter. The case against Pahuja was later abated following her murder at a hotel in Haryana in 2024, when she was out on bail in the Gadoli case.
The prosecution alleged that Gujjar, who had a long-standing enmity with Gadoli, had orchestrated the encounter at the hotel in Mumbai.
He, along with the accused cops, hatched a conspiracy to kill Gadoli.
The prosecution claimed that the accused cops shot him at a hotel in Andheri East using illegal firearms, and gave false evidence to save themselves.
The prosecution presented the testimony of 43 witnesses and extensive technical evidence (CCTV, call records, and ballistics) to prove the accused acted in a coordinated conspiracy to commit murder.
However, the judge acquitted all the accused. The order was not made available.
Advocates Vilas Naik and Vignesh Iyer, appearing for Pradyuman Yadav and Vikram Singh, contended that the allegations against them were “utterly false and malicious”.
It was done under the pressure of the Gadoli family, especially the deceased gangster’s brothers and sister, who also have serious cases of extortion and murder, etc., the defence said. PTI AVI ARU
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