Shaikh was arrested along with 19 other accused in 1997, soon after the murder of Kumar. In custody, he agreed to turn approver, a prosecution witness who could depict the entire conspiracy theory and pin down all the accused. However, he later turned hostile and his trial was separated.
With Shaikh turning hostile, the prosecution’s case was considerably weakened. The court acquitted 18 of the accused including Tips Industries chief Ramesh Taurani. Only shooter Abdul Rauf Daud Merchant, identified in court, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002.
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