The sessions court in Maharashtra`s Thane city has convicted a woman and her accomplice for killing a man over a property dispute five years ago and handed life sentences to the two, reported news agency PTI.
While convicting Kalpana Baliram Nagalkar (50) and Santosh Chandrakant Ghugare (35), Judge V G Mohite acquitted two co-accused, identified as Geeta Avinash Arolkar and Mangesh Ganesh Murudkar, citing insufficient evidence, reported PTI.
A copy of the order dated October 10 was made available on Thursday night.
According to Additional Public Prosecutor Rashmi Kshirsagar, victim Tanaji Laxman Javir had been the caretaker of a property belonging to Kalpana Nagalkar`s family, reported PTI.
After the death of Kalpana`s husband, a dispute arose as the family was reluctant to give any share in the property to Javir, despite the promise by her husband when he was alive. Kalpana then roped in Ghugare to kill Javir, reported PTI.
On July 17, 2020, Ghugare invited Javir for a drinking session near a creek and served him liquor spiked with insecticide. After Javir`s death due to the poisonous drink, his body was dumped into the creek, reported PTI.
The victim`s skeleton was later recovered from the water body, while his identity was established through a DNA test.
Kshirsagar said 13 prosecution witnesses were examined to prove the case.
Besides sentencing Kalpana and Ghugare to life imprisonment, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 12,000 on them.
Man gets life imprisonment for murder of his wife in 2020
In another case, a court in Maharashtra`s Thane district has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his wife in 2020, reported PTI.
Additional Sessions Judge V G Mohite on Wednesday convicted Aakash Meghji Katuva (29) for killing his wife Laxmi Katuva in November 2020 and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him, reported PTI.
An FIR against Katuva was registered at the Kalwa police station and he has been in custody since his arrest made immediately after the incident.
The couple got married in October 2018.
Additional public prosecutor Rashmi Kshirsagar told the court that the accused regularly harassed the deceased over domestic matters and suspected her character, reported PTI.
On the day of the incident, which took place at their residence in Thane city`s Kalwa area, he assaulted Laxmi with a lid of a pressure cooker on her head after she refused to give money for petrol. After that, he slashed her throat by a small knife and set her on fire by throwing thinner on her, reported PTI.
Kshirsagar stated that a total of 13 prosecution witnesses were examined during the trial to prove the charges against the accused.
“The oral evidence of the medical officer and the contents of the post-mortem report clearly show the death of Laxmi was homicidal. There was an incised wound on her neck by sharp edged weapon and remaining injuries were by hard and blunt object, which were collectively sufficient to cause her death. At the same time, the burn injury is also individually sufficient to cause her death,” the court said, reported PTI.
“There is nothing on record to show that Laxmi has accidentally sustained burn injury as mentioned above either due to blast of stove or any other way suggested by the defence while cross-examination of prosecution witness,” it said.
The prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the murder, the court added, reported PTI.
While the prosecution sought strictest possible punishment, the court noted that the case did not fall under the “rarest of rare” category required for a death sentence.
(With inputs from PTI)
