Mumbai:

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday convicted and sentenced former police officer Pradeep Sharma to life imprisonment for impersonating Ram, a close aide of gangster Chhota Rajan, in Mumbai in 2006 Meet Ramnarayan Gupta.

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Gauri Godse overturned the court’s 2013 verdict acquitting Sharma, calling the verdict “unjustified” and “unsustainable”.

“The trial court ignored the overwhelming evidence against Sharma. The common chain of evidence unequivocally established his involvement in the case,” the court said.

The judge directed Sharma to surrender before the relevant court within three weeks.

The high court also upheld the convictions and life sentences of 13 persons, including police officers, by the trial court and quashed the convictions and life sentences of six other accused and acquitted them.

22 people, including 13 police officers, were charged with murder.

In 2013, the court acquitted Sharma due to lack of evidence and convicted 21 defendants and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

Two of the 21 defendants died in custody.

While the defendants appealed to the High Court challenging their convictions, the prosecution and the victim’s brother, Ramprasad Gupta, appealed against Sharm el-Sheikh’s acquittal.

Special prosecutor Rajiv Chavan argued that in this case, the law and order police officers themselves were involved in a well-planned cold-blooded murder.

Prosecutors seeking Sharma’s conviction argued that the former police officer was the main conspirator and ringleader of the entire kidnapping and murder operation.

On November 11, 2006, a police team nabbed Gupta, alias Lakkhan Bhaiya, from neighboring Vashi on suspicion of being a member of the Rajan gang, along with his friend Anil Beda. Anil Bheda) and killed Gupta in a “fake” encounter near Nana. The same evening, Nani Park on the outskirts of Versova.

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