CHANDIGARH, April 17— Over three decades after being accused of murdering an 11-year-old boy during a robbery in 1989, Anand Kumar, now 61, has been acquitted by a Chandigarh court due to insufficient evidence.
Anand was 24 when a murder and robbery case was registered against him at Sector 3 police station. The crime involved the killing of a boy named Omkar in the forested area of Kaimbwala village. Anand remained a fugitive for decades and was declared a proclaimed offender shortly after the incident. His arrest came only in 2024, which led to the start of his trial.
Additional District Judge Ashwini Kumar delivered the verdict, acquitting Anand after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a credible link between him and the murder. “The benefit of the doubt goes to the accused due to lack of consistent and reliable testimony,” the court noted.
The case dates back to January 1989, when Omkar’s mother, Vidhyavati, reported that she and her son encountered Anand and a minor boy from their village while returning to Kaimbwala. She claimed that while collecting wood near Sukhna Lake, the minor demanded her jewellery. Upon her refusal, she alleged that both he and Anand attacked her with knives. Though she escaped, her son was killed.
Following the incident, both suspects fled and were declared absconders. The minor was apprehended in 2001 and later acquitted in juvenile court for lack of evidence.
During Anand’s trial, public defender Arvind Sandhu argued that there were major discrepancies in the witness testimonies. The prosecution suffered a blow when the prime witness, Vidhyavati, failed to identify Anand in court. She also stated that she had been unconscious for two days following the attack and had no memory of the FIR contents.
The court found inconsistencies in her multiple statements and concluded that the prosecution’s case lacked the certainty required for conviction. Anand was thus acquitted of all charges—35 years after the case was first registered.
