Thane court sentences man to life imprisonment in 2016 murder case

Thane: A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 30-year-old man to life imprisonment for the murder of a man in 2016.

Additional sessions judge A N Sirsikar convicted the accused, Ajay Lalbahaddur Vishwakarma, of the charges under Section 302 (murder) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sentenced him to life imprisonment and a five-year rigorous imprisonment term.

The sentences will run concurrently, the court ordered.

The court, however, acquitted Sanjay Firatlal Goutam, a co-accused in the case, citing lack of conclusive evidence against him.

A copy of the order passed on Thursday was made available on Saturday.

Additional public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale informed the court that on July 27, 2016, the victim, Jay Prajapati, went missing after informing his father that he was at Bhayandar railway station.

She said messages were sent from Prajapati's mobile phone, demanding Rs 15 lakh for his release. However, despite efforts by his family and the police, the victim could not be traced, and his body was later discovered wrapped in a motorcycle cover in the mangroves.

The prosecution said the forensic investigation and digital evidence linked Vishwakarma to the crime.

At least 16 prosecution witnesses, including the victim's kin and medical officers, were examined during the trial, she said.

The court noted that key prosecution witnesses testified after a six-year delay, leading to some discrepancies.

However, judge Sirsikar observed that minor inconsistencies should not undermine the credibility of the evidence.

The court ruled that while the prosecution failed to prove the ransom demand and the involvement of the second accused, it successfully established that Vishwakarma had a motive to kill Prajapati due to personal enmity.

He highlighted that the discovery of the deceased's body at the instance of the accused and the extra-judicial confession before a witness played a crucial role in securing the conviction.

The judge, in his order, ruled that the case did not fall under the 'rarest of rare' category warranting capital punishment.

The court acquitted the co-accused, Sanjay Firatlal Goutam, stating that his mere presence at railway stations captured in CCTV footage was insufficient to establish his role in the crime.