‘Spider Satish’ acquitted in high-profile burglary case
Bhubaneswar: In a significant turn of event, the JMFC-III court in Bhubaneswar recently acquitted Kari Satti Babu (alias Satheesh Reddy) , popularly known as “Spider Satish,” in a high-profile burglary case at the residence of former Odisha Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik. The court’s decision was primarily based on several critical investigative and procedural lapses by the Commissioner ate Police.
The prosecution failed to provide credible evidence to establish the charges. There were major contradictions in the statements of police witnesses regarding where the stolen items were recovered. The court noted that no independent local witnesses were present during raids or seizures. Instead, the police relied solely on their own personnel.
The CCTV footage used by the prosecution was deemed invalid because it was extracted by an investigator rather than the device owner, violating Supreme Court guidelines for digital evidence certification. The police failed to officially record the accused’s confessional statement or provide details of his past convictions. The defence argued that Satish was at his home in Andhra Pradesh caring for his paralysed daughter at the time of the robbery.
The burglary had occurred on January 26 last year where gold ornaments, diamonds and cash worth approximately Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore were reportedly stolen. Despite a massive 5,000 km hunt and the examination of over 400 CCTV cameras, the case collapsed in court due to these failures. Following the verdict, the court ordered Satish’s immediate release and cancelled his bail bond.
