Cellphone helps trace murderer

A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for murdering a gardener and robbing him of his mobile phone and money.

The Delhi court termed it as a rare case that resulted in conviction only on “electronic evidence.”

While sentencing Mohinder Sharma to 20 years in jail, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Kamini Lau said the state would not grant any remission to the convict and not release him before he actually serves 20 years in jail.

“I am of a considered opinion that this case cannot be put on the same pedestal as other ordinary murder cases. It can be easily classified as a rare case which calls for exercising of alternative (sentencing) options by court,” said Lau, who also imposed a fine of Rs 1.02 lakh on the convict.

Sharma, involved in 15 other criminal cases, had murdered Vadivale, a gardener with the Delhi Development Authority in May 2009 when the victim was returning home at Shakurpur and robbed him of his mobile and some cash.