Keenan Reuben murders 12 identify 4 accused

MUMBAI: Twelve eyewitnesses on Wednesday identified the four men accused of killing Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandez during an identification parade at Arthur Road jail. The police refused to disclose the names of the witnesses, but it is believed that among them were the women who accompanied Santos and Fernandez on the night of October 20, some staffers of the hotel outside which the incident occurred, and two panch witnesses. "I can only say that all witnesses identified the accused during the parade," said a senior police officer.

The police have accused Jitendra Rana, Sunil Bodh, Satish Dulhaj and Dipak Tival in the murders of Amboli residents Santos and Fernandez.

An identification parade is an important part of an investigation, where witnesses are called to spot, in the presence of government officials, the accused from a line-up that includes their lookalikes . On Wednesday afternoon, the witnesses were called to Arthur Road jail in separate groups.

Police officials claimed they now have a watertight case against the four, with enough evidence to get a conviction . The government has assured the victims' families that the case would be tried in a fast-track court.