Panchkula, Dec. 10 -- A Panchkula court has acquitted two men accused in a 2024 snatching case, citing major lapses in the police investigation and contradictions in the evidence.

Vikas, alias Vicky, and Ajay Kumar, both 27 and residents of Mubarikpur in Dera Bassi, were booked for allegedly snatching Rs.10,800 from complainant Chhatarpal on February 16, 2024.

The court observed that the prosecution failed to prove the identity of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. No test identification parade (TIP) was conducted before a magistrate as required by law. Instead, the complainant was shown only the two accused at the Crime Branch office, without any persons of similar appearance - rendering the identification unreliable. The court also ...