Adnan Patrawala case: Five big facts

Mumbai: A Mumbai court on Monday acquitted four men accused of murdering Mumbai teenager Adnan Patrawala. The court said there was not enough evidence to prove that the arrested men are guilty. Here are five big facts about the case:  

1. Adnan, who was 16, was discovered dead in the bushes of Navi Mumbai, in August 2007. He had been strangled. His father's car was found on Palm Beach Road at Vashi. He had left his home to meet with friends.
   
   
2. His alleged killers - five in total - included two teens. They had befriended him at a gaming parlour at a mall in North West Mumbai. They interacted with him regularly on Orkut. Those charged with his murder include Sujit Nair, Ayush Bhat, Rajeev Dharaiya and Amit Kausha, who were found not guilty today. A fifth person is a minor and cannot be named. 
   
   
3. Why was Adnan killed? The group of alleged murderers, according to the police, wanted quick money. Some had debts they needed to settle. They drew up a list of people they could kidnap for ransom. Adnan appeared gullible and came from a wealthy family - his father was a businessman in Andheri.  
   
   
4. How was Adnan killed? On August 18, 2007, Adnan took his father's Skoda to meet his friends at the Inorbit Mall in Malad. The group of five men asked Adnan to drive with them to Kandivli. They allegedly spiked a drink that he had. The next morning, Adnan's father received a call asking for a two-crore ransom. Meanwhile, news of the kidnapping had broken on TV. So Adnan's abductors strangled him, dumped his body, and took local trains home. 
   
   
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5. Key evidence in the case includes exchanges between Adnan and his alleged killers on social networking site Orkut. One of those accused of his murder allegedly told the police where Adnan's blood-stained clothes were hidden. The police relied heavily on circumstantial evidence. One of the prosecution witnesses claimed to have seen the accused helping Adnan into the car in a drowsy condition.