Alipore: The final verdict in the case related to the abduction of Khadim's owner Parthapratim Roy Burman will be delivered on December 8.

The additional sessions judge of the Alipore court, Arun Kiran Banerjee, was to issue the ruling on Thursday but could not because the detailed order was not yet ready. He deferred the verdict's announcement to December 8.

Roy Burman was abducted from CN Roy Road in Tiljala while he was on his way to his company's godown early on July 25, 2001.

The eight accused whose fate will be decided are Azgar Khan, Dilshad Khan, Akhtar Hossain, Nayeem, Muzammel Sheikh, Noor Rahman alias Alam, Mizanur Rahman and Akhtar alias Palwan.

Seven men - including mafia don Aftab Ansari, who had plotted the abduction - are serving life sentence.

Ansari's appeal against capital punishment awarded for the 2002 American Center attack is pending in the Supreme Court, which has stayed the order.

Sources in the CID, which probed the case, said the chargesheet against the accused contained statements of 68 witnesses, including former chief secretary Sourin Roy.

Roy Burman had not deposed in the first round of trial, which involved Ansari, but did so in the second.

"The industrialist was declared hostile because he refused to depose in the first round of the trial. This was a severe blow to us. It took us a lot of time to ascertain the interstate connection of the gang before drawing up the charge sheet," a senior CID officer said.

Roy Burman was released eight days after his abduction after the family reportedly paid a ransom of Rs 3.75 crore. The family, however, denies having paid any ransom.