Hans News Service New Delhi

A Delhi court has acquitted five men accused in a 2018 dacoity-cum-murder case at a Corporation Bank branch, saying the prosecution failed to establish their involvement beyond a reasonable doubt after key eyewitnesses and bank staff failed to identify them during the trial. Additional Sessions Judge Sumit Dass was hearing the case against Sachin (son of Satpal), Sachin (son of Inderjeet), Vicky alias Pushkar, Parvesh and Pawan Pandey, who were accused of looting the branch at Kheda Dabar in south-west Delhi and killing its cashier in 2018. In the order dated May 19, the court said, “The accused persons in the present case have been able to create doubt upon the story of the prosecution, for which benefit has to be given to them.

Accordingly, the accused are entitled to the benefit of doubt.” According to the prosecution, the accused were involved in the incident at Corporation Bank’s Kheda Dabar branch on October 12, 2018, where armed men allegedly stormed the bank, snatched the security guard’s weapon, looted around Rs 3 lakh and opened fire, killing cashier Santosh Kumar. Witnesses said the assailants fled on motorcycles after the robbery. An FIR was registered at the Chhawla police station under charges including dacoity, murder and offences under the Arms Act. During the trial, several bank officials, customers and the security guard confirmed that a dacoity and killing had taken place.