A Thane court has acquitted a 36-year-old man accused of kidnapping his wife's sister's minor son in 2023, as key witnesses became hostile.

Additional Sessions Judge V G Mohite stated on July 18 that the prosecution failed to present convincing evidence of the child's kidnapping for ransom.

The order was made available on Wednesday. The man, in custody since October 28, 2023, was ordered to be released immediately, pending any other legal matters. The prosecution claimed that on October 25, 2023, he went to his wife's sister's house in Kalwa, Thane, and took her one-and-a-half-year-old son with sweets, refusing to return him unless his estranged wife accompanied him. Police alleged he demanded Rs 2,000 for the child's release, according to news agency PTI.