Mohali, May 4 -- A Mohali court has acquitted a 50-year-old woman in a decade-old chain-snatching case, citing an unexplained eight-month delay in reporting the incident and prosecution contradictions that created "serious doubt". The case was registered at Zirakpur police station against Harjinder Kaur and co-accused Rani. The incident dates back to September 9, 2015, when complainant Minakshi Ahuja alleged that while she was waiting for a bus to go to PGIMER, Chandigarh, a car stopped near her with two women and a boy inside. She alleged that they persuaded her to sit in the vehicle on the pretext of dropping her at the hospital and later took her gold chain and pendant before leaving her near a market. However, the complaint was filed on May 6, 2016, nearly eight months after the alleged incident. The court noted that no document or record was produced to show that the matter was reported on the day of the alleged occurrence. The court observed that such a delay, when unexplained, weakens the prosecution case and raises doubt about the veracity of allegations. The court found material inconsistencies in the statements of the complainant and the investigating officer regarding how and where the accused was identified and how the alleged recovery of the gold chain was effected. The court observed that the complainant gave differing versions about identifying the accused and handing over documents, while the investigating officer's account did not support her claims. It also noted that no proof of ownership of the gold chain was placed on record, and no independent witnesses were associated during the alleged recovery, despite it being carried out from a residential area. The court further noted the complainant's cross-examination, where her statement regarding being forcibly taken in the car was inconsistent, adding to the doubt. The trial against co-accused Rani, who has been declared a proclaimed offender, will proceed upon her arrest....