The judgment delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Sunita Tiwari on January 21, 2021, found no substantial proof to link two suspects Anju Zodape and Manish Borkar with the crime of kidnapping, abduction and demanding ransom from the parents of innocent Aditya Parekh, and ordered their acquittal.
On the fateful evening of May 29, 2000, two-and-a-half years old Aditya Parekh was kidnapped from his Verma Layout residence by two middle-aged criminals. After years of investigation, change of investigating agency, two probable suspects were nabbed. But, in absence of any incriminating evidence, the case has not moved an inch. The prosecution failed to produce any credible evidence against alleged kidnappers, which has led to their acquittal.
Till today, there is no trace of the unfortunate tiny tot. No one has been held guilty for this crime, which had led to public furore over two decades ago. Initially, the matter was handled by Ambazari Police and offence was registered against both the unknown accused who actually abducted Aditya. Later, ransom calls were made to Nilesh Parekh, father of the kidnapped child, but nobody came to collect the ransom.
Later, the investigation was transferred to Criminal Investigation Department (CID), but it failed to make any headway in absence of any clue about the unknown accused. The investigation was closed by filing ‘A’ summary on March 16, 2003, before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM).