MUMBAI: A Thane sessions court recently acquitted gangster Ejaz Yusuf Lakdawala in a 2011 case against him for alleged attempt to murder and extortion, citing serious lapses in the investigation and lack of credible evidence. Lakdawala, now 55, was accused of orchestrating an armed attack at the sales office of a property developer in Thane’s Anand Nagar area on April 19, 2011.
According to the prosecution, on April 19, 2011, an unidentified man stormed into the sales office of a property developer in Anand Nagar, Thane. He attempted to fire a pistol at a staff member, physically assaulted him with the gun, and broke the reception glass. Leaving behind a white chit bearing Lakdawala’s name and a mobile number—allegedly to instil fear – he fled on a motorcycle with an accomplice. The Kasarvadavli police station registered an FIR on the same day against Lakdawala but arrested him only in March 2021, and a supplementary chargesheet was filed months later. After a prolonged delay, charges were framed in February 2025, and the trial commenced shortly thereafter.
The prosecution had invoked serious provisions, including Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 385 and 387 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and Section 25 (offences related to firearms and ammunition) of the Arms Act, 1959. However, additional sessions judge VL Bhosale, in her July 25 order, held that the prosecution failed to prove any of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Key witnesses, who include the panch witness and two office staff members who were allegedly present during the incident, failed to support the prosecution’s case. No one identified the accused in court, and the witness, who was also supposedly assaulted, admitted to being unsure of who attacked him. The prosecution also failed to trace the origins of the chit bearing Lakdawala’s name or link the mobile number to him.
Moreover, although four bullets were allegedly recovered from the scene, no pistol was seized in the supplementary chargesheet, and the original seizure documents were either incomplete or contested. “There is no hesitation to hold that the prosecution has not proved the offences punishable under Section 3(25) of the Arms Act,” the court noted.
Lakdawala, who had remained in custody since his 2021 arrest was ordered to furnish a personal bond of ₹50,000 with one surety under Section 437A of the CrPC. The court cancelled his bail bonds and directed the destruction of any seized property after the appeal period ends.