<p>Nihal Raish Sheikh (30) and Rafique Mohammad Unni Jan Sayyed (27) were found guilty by the Additional Sessions Judge D N Bhargande, who pronounced the verdict in a jam- packed courtroom here. The trial was conducted by a fast-track court.<br /><br />According to the prosecution, Nitesh, son of a Navi Mumbai businessman, was kidnapped from near his residence on April 26, 2004 by the duo. They demanded a ransom of Rs 15 lakh from his parents.<br /><br />The two killed the kid fearing arrest, but kept on demanding the ransom and even collected Rs 50,000 from his parents, the prosecution said.<br /><br />The killers were caught a few days later. The boy's highly decomposed body was exhumed on May 24.<br /><br />Additional Public Prosecutor Hemlata Deshmukh told the court that the duo deserves nothing but death sentence for kidnapping the child and brutally killing him.<br /><br />Defence counsel Ramakant Patil pleaded for leniency, saying the accused were young and had no criminal background.<br /><br />However, the court awarded capital punishment to the duo.<br />"I would like to make one point clear here, kidnapping of the child for ransom and killing him brutally is sufficient ground to hand over death sentence," the Judge maintained.</p>
<p>Nihal Raish Sheikh (30) and Rafique Mohammad Unni Jan Sayyed (27) were found guilty by the Additional Sessions Judge D N Bhargande, who pronounced the verdict in a jam- packed courtroom here. The trial was conducted by a fast-track court.<br /><br />According to the prosecution, Nitesh, son of a Navi Mumbai businessman, was kidnapped from near his residence on April 26, 2004 by the duo. They demanded a ransom of Rs 15 lakh from his parents.<br /><br />The two killed the kid fearing arrest, but kept on demanding the ransom and even collected Rs 50,000 from his parents, the prosecution said.<br /><br />The killers were caught a few days later. The boy's highly decomposed body was exhumed on May 24.<br /><br />Additional Public Prosecutor Hemlata Deshmukh told the court that the duo deserves nothing but death sentence for kidnapping the child and brutally killing him.<br /><br />Defence counsel Ramakant Patil pleaded for leniency, saying the accused were young and had no criminal background.<br /><br />However, the court awarded capital punishment to the duo.<br />"I would like to make one point clear here, kidnapping of the child for ransom and killing him brutally is sufficient ground to hand over death sentence," the Judge maintained.</p>