Mumbai, Oct. 21 (PTI): A witness in the Best Bakery case who had turned hostile during trial in Vadodara today came out in support of the prosecution at a special court here.

Devendra Thakore said he had earlier acted under family pressure.

Thakore, who signed on two panchnamas (on-the-spot report) of recovery of weapons from two accused, said his family asked him to retract his statement after reading newspaper reports about prime witness Zaheera Sheikh turning hostile.

In Vadodara, Thakore had denied seeing anything or accompanying police and the accused during the seizure of weapons.

Although he today admitted to being with the police during the arms recovery, Thakore could not identify the two accused among the 17 present in the dock.

The witness was cross-examined by defence lawyer D.S. Jambaulikar, who alleged that Thakore had appeared as panch in several other cases being investigated by police officers P.P. Kanani and H.D. Baria.

Jambaulikar pointed out one of the two panchnamas, where an accused had agreed to hand over a weapon. The police had found two weapons from his house.

The lawyer asked Thakore how the police had traced the weapons to the house of the accused. He added that it was strange that a constable had brought a cloth bag in which the weapons fitted perfectly.

Thakore said he did not remember much about the day the panchnama was prepared as over two years have passed since then. He also said he could not recall which officer had taken him along during the seizure. Kanani was produced before him, but Thakore could not identify him. The witness told the court today that this is the first time he has spoken about the family pressure.

Twenty-three witnesses have deposed before the court till now for the trial in the Bakery massacre during the post-Godhra riots in 2002 in Gujarat.