Uttar Pradesh couple gets death sentence for killing 6 family members over property dispute

Lucknow: A special court here has sentenced a couple to death for killing six members of their family, including two children, in the Banthra police station area.

Sentencing Ajay Singh and Roopa Singh to death, the court said execution of the sentence is subject to confirmation by the high court. The son of the accused was found to be a minor and his case was transferred to a Juvenile Court.

Delivering the verdict on January 16, Special Judge Rohit Singh described the case as "extraordinary" and the "rarest of rare" instance of ruthless murder while emphasising that the crime was motivated by a property dispute and carried out with extreme brutality.

"Committing murder with the desire to create fear and terror in the surroundings, so that no one dares oppose the accused, collectively affects the conscience of society in such a manner that the only justifiable punishment is death," the judge said.

On April 30, 2020, the complainant reported to police that her brother, Ajay Singh, his wife Roopa and son conspired to kill her father Amar Singh, mother Ram Dulari, brother Arun Singh, sister-in-law Ram Sakhi, nephew Saurabh, and niece Sarika using an axe and a gun.

It was alleged that Ajay Singh had allegedly demanded money from his father over fear that the family property would be sold and the proceeds given to his younger brother, Arun, the complainant told police.

During the hearing in the case, witnesses testified that Arun Singh was shot in the head while his wife and children were hacked to death.

The court also fined the convicts Rs 1 lakh each and imposed life imprisonment on them with an additional fine of Rs 50,000 for conspiracy. Ajay Singh also received a three-year sentence and a fine of Rs 5,000 under the Arms Act.