Two get life imprisonment for burning woman alive

A court here in Maharashtra has awarded life imprisonment to a 37-year-old man and his friend for killing a woman in 2017.

Additional Sessions Judge A U Kadam in her order on Tuesday convicted the accused - Manoj Chavan and his friend Baburao Yesankar (47) - both residents of Vasai area here, under Indian Penal Code Section 302 (murder) and also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each on them.

Additional Public Prosecutor Jaiprakash Patil told the court that Chavan was in a live-in relationship with the victim, Anita Wankhede (32), who worked as a maid.

Yesankar, whom Wankhede used to treat as her brother, also lived with him.

Chavan and the woman used to have frequent quarrels as he doubted her character.

On June 26, 2017, they again had a fight following which Yesankar and Chavan doused the woman with kerosene and set her ablaze, the prosecutor said.

On hearing her cries, the neighbours rushed there and took her to a hospital where she died while undergoing treatment.

In her dying declaration, the woman said the two men "burnt her with an intention to kill her", Patil told the court.

The judge, while awarding the punishment, said the prosecution successfully established its case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused.