Mumbai: A 62-year-old British citizen, Stephen John Smith, who was arrested by the police last December for allegedly stealing the laptop of a Khar resident at the Mumbai domestic airport, has sought Bombay high court's permission to go back to the UK to attend his daughter’s wedding.
While CCTV footages procured by the Sahar police showed that Smith allegedly stole the Khar resident's laptop when his wife's and the victim's laptops were being put through a pre-boarding screening at the airport, the accused later clarified he inadvertently took the laptop as he mistook it as his wife's.
According to the petitioner, he was arrested at Goa and was later handed over to the Mumbai police. Smith's daughter's marriage is scheduled on March 4. However, the court has kept the matter for hearing on March 1. He was arrested last December and is out on bail.
On Friday, the court had refused to give immediate relief to him saying that without hearing state government stand they can't take a decision.
A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Anuja Prabhudesai was hearing a petition filed by Smith in which he sought that his FIR and look out notice should be quashed against him.
According to the petition on December 16, 2016, Smith was traveling from Mumbai to Goa with his wife. A person named Sunil Bhoolabhai was traveling with his wife from Mumbai to Hyderabad.
The complainant was carrying his Mac (Apple laptop) along with him. He put his laptop in a tray for the X-ray at a security check-in area at the Mumbai airport. Smith claimed that he mistakenly took his laptop and went away because he has the same kind of laptop.
