MARGAO: Additional Sessions Judge Edgar Fernandes today acquitted two persons who were charged with murdering a person on February 21, 2016 at Mount Mary, Verna as witnesses turned hostile and the prosecution could not prove its case against the duo.
Sandesh alias Sony Satarkar (28) and Viraj Mazgaonkar (25) were charged with the murder of Surendra Betkikar at Mount Mary Verna close to their residence on February 21, 2016 at around 9.30 pm.
Surendra Betkikar who was injured was admitted to Goa Medical College Hospital at Bambolim where he succumbed to the injuries on February 23 and police registered a case of murder against the two based on the complaint lodged by Surendra’s wife.
In all, the prosecution examined 21 witnesses but the two eye witnesses — Surendra’s wife and mother-in-law — turned hostile. In fact, the wife deposed in the court that the police had not written what she had said in her complaint.
Surendra’s sister-in-law and her husband, two other family witnesses, also turned hostile and all four were officially declared as hostile witnesses and as such the prosecution could not prove the case.
Public Prosecutor Subhash Desai said the acquittal was primarily because of the false evidence given by the wife and her mother and also because the other family members did not support the prosecution’s case.
