The star prosecution witness in the black buck poaching case against Hindi film actor Salman Khan has gone missing.
Harish Dulani, driver of the Gypsy used by the actor when he was allegedly hunting protected wildlife, has left his old residence and is untraceable, a local court in Jodhpur was told on Wednesday.
The prosecution had been riding high on the deposition of Dulani who had stated that Khan shot dead two black bucks and a chinkara (Indian gazelle) near villages Bhawad and Mathania in Jodhpur district in 1998. That was when Khan was shooting for Sooraj Barjatya's film Hum Saath Saath Hain in Rajasthan.
But Dulani failed to appear before Judicial Magistrate Narsingh Das Vyas for cross-examination.
After he repeatedly failed to appear in court, the magistrate issued a warrant against him at the last hearing two months ago and asked the police to produce him.
That was when the police found that Dulani had left his residence in the walled city of Jodhpur along with his wife and son without leaving his new address with neighbours. His relatives also claimed to be unaware of his whereabouts.
The magistrate has now given the police till May 2 to locate Dulani and produce him in court.
Meanwhile, he accepted an application by comedian Satish Shah, another accused in the case, to go abroad for his son's engagement and a medical checkup for his heart problem.
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