A Delhi court has discharged Mohammed Basheeruddin, who was arrested last month in connection with a 2003 murder in Redfern, Australia, due to mistaken identity. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pranav Joshi exonerated Basheeruddin on June 13 after considering forensic reports. The reports from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) revealed that Basheeruddin's fingerprints did not match those found at the crime scene in Australia.
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, assaulted, and strangled to death. The New South Wales authorities have kept the case open and announced a reward of AUD 100,000 for information leading to the arrest of the responsible fugitive.
Basheeruddin's lawyer, Farhat Jahan Rehmani, argued that her client was falsely implicated because of a name mismatch. According to foreign records, the actual name of the accused was Bashiruddin Mohd, while her client's name is Mohammed Basheeruddin. She further pointed out that Basheeruddin obtained his Indian passport in 2016 and has only traveled outside India to Saudi Arabia since then.
The court acknowledged the mistaken identity, noting that the fingerprints of Mohammed Basheeruddin, who was arrested on May 17, 2025, did not match the fingerprints of the original fugitive criminal. Consequently, Basheeruddin was discharged from the proceedings.
