Patrawala murder case accused released from jail

Mumbai, Jan 31 (ANI): Four persons who were accused in the 2007 murder of sixteen-year-old teenager Adnan Patrawala, walked out of prison on Tuesday a day after their acquittal by a local sessions court.

On Monday, a Mumbai Sessions court had acquitted four persons-Sujit Nair, Ayush Bhat, Rajeev Dharaiya and Amit Kausha arrested for Patrawala's murder-citing lack of 'strong' evidence against the accused in the case.

The accused had been charged with extortion, kidnapping and murder.

One of the acquitted accused, Bhat, smelled the fresh air of freedom for the first time since he was arrested more than two years back.

Visibly overjoyed with the developments, Bhat recounted his nightmarish tryst in prison.

"See, I was going through a trauma here, because I had lost my friend, and after that I have been blamed for it. I had to suffer for it. I spent two and a half years away from my family, away from them. So, it was the worst phase of my life, which I can never forget," said Bhat.

Another acquitted accused, Sujit Nair, said his faith in God had given him the strength to go through with the ordeal.

"I have faith in law. I believe in God. So, I am free," said Nair.

Sixteen-year-old Adnan Patrawala was discovered dead in the bushes of Navi Mumbai, a prominent area of India's commercial capital, in August 2007. He had been strangled.

Patrawala had left home in his father's car to meet with friends-who had befriended him through a social networking site Orkut-at a gaming centre. He never returned home.

According to police, Patrawala was killed by the accused, after their plan to extort money from his parents went haywire due to a media blitzkrieg and public outcry over his mysterious disappearance.

Despite the court's verdict, Patrawala's family remains hopeful for justice, hinting that it could move a higher court against the ruling. (ANI)