A Delhi court has discharged Mohammed Basheeruddin, a 37-year-old man who was wrongfully arrested in connection with a murder that occurred in Redfern, Australia, in 2003. The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Pranav Joshi, exonerated Basheeruddin after forensic reports confirmed a case of mistaken identity.
The case dates back to June 29, 2003, when the body of Shoukat Mohammed was discovered inside a sleeping bag in a wheelie bin on James Street, Redfern. The victim had been drugged and assaulted before being strangled.
Basheeruddin was apprehended on May 17, 2025, based on a potential match with the suspect in the Australian murder case. However, the recent report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) revealed that his fingerprints did not match those found at the original crime scene. The court received the CFSL report in a sealed condition, and it was opened in open court on June 12, 2025.
According to the judge, the CFSL report clearly stated that the fingerprints of Mohammed Basheeruddin, who was arrested, were different from the fingerprints of the actual fugitive criminal (FC). Consequently, the court ordered his release from the proceedings.
Advocate Farhat Jahan Rehmani, representing Mohammed Basheeruddin, clarified that the name of the actual accused in the foreign records was Bashiruddin Mohd, while her client's full name is Mohammed Basheeruddin, emphasizing that they are two different individuals. She further argued that her client obtained his Indian passport in 2016 and has since only traveled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, never having visited Australia.
The court considered both the forensic evidence and the arguments presented by the defense, leading to the conclusion that Basheeruddin's arrest was indeed a case of mistaken identity. Taking these factors into account, the court discharged Mohammed Basheeruddin from the proceedings.
