India News | Gangster Ejaz Lakdawala Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in 1996 Murder Case, Chhota Rajan Acquitted

Mumbai, Mar 7 (PTI) A special court here on Thursday convicted and sentenced gangster Ejaz Lakdawala to rigorous imprisonment for life in connection with the murder of a businessman about 28 years ago.

Jailed gangster Rajendra Nikalje, alias Chhota Rajan, a co-accused in the case, was acquitted by the court for want of evidence.

Also Read | India Sees Japan as a 'Natural Partner' in Its Journey, Development and Quest for Stability in Indo-Pacific, Says EAM S Jaishankar (Watch Videos).

Special Judge AM Patil held Lakdawala, a former associate of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, guilty under the Indian Penal Code for murder as well as the Arms Act.

On October 7, 1996, as per the first information report (FIR), two unknown persons fired at businessman Sayyad Farid Makbul Hussain inside his shop on Mohammad Ali Road and fled the spot.

Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress To Hold Discussion on Candidates for 10 States in Central Election Committee Meeting Today.

Hussain was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Mumbai police, which initially investigated the murder, filed a chargesheet against Lakdawala, while Rajan was shown as a wanted accused. The case was later probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In his statement to the police before his death, Hussain had said that the shooter had taken the name “Nana (Rajan)”.

The court relied on the testimonies of three eyewitnesses and informant Sayyed Sohel Maqbul Hussain, brother of the deceased.

Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat had argued that the statements of witnesses and the complainant were enough to connect the accused with the crime.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)