The Vasco JMFC Court has acquitted two women, including a housemaid, in connection with a 2023 theft case in Dabolim after the complainant chose not to pursue the matter.
According to the prosecution, before September 25, 2023, Jyoti Bangari, a 35-year-old maidservant, allegedly stole gold ornaments valued at ₹6,90,000 and cash amounting to ₹2,00,000 from the residence of her employer, Hamilton Furtado, in Fatima Colony, Dabolim.
The prosecution further alleged that Bangari conspired with 32-year-old Suman Kothabagi to sell the stolen items to jewellers, bringing the total estimated value of the theft to approximately ₹8,90,000. Both women were arrested on September 26, 2023, and subsequently released on bail on September 30, 2023.
However, the course of the trial changed when the complainant, Hamilton Furtado, appeared as the primary prosecution witness. Furtado testified that he had decided to compound the matter with the accused. He voluntarily informed the court that he had not been pressured, forced, coerced, or threatened by anyone into making this decision.
Defence counsel Adv. Savio Noronha submitted that, in light of the complainant’s testimony, there was no reason to continue the proceedings.
Accepting the defence counsel’s submission, the court observed that, based on the evidence on record, the accused were entitled to the benefit of the doubt. The JMFC Court accordingly acquitted them of all charges.
