Thane, Jan 29 (PTI) A court in Thane district has convicted a 46-year-old man for the murder of an autorickshaw driver and his friend in July 2017 and sentenced him to rigorous life imprisonment.
Court of Additional Sessions Judge (Belapur), presided over by Judge Parag Sane, on Tuesday convicted the man, Prabhakar Devravji Dhotre, in the double murder case and also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on him.
He sentenced Dhotre, a resident of Turbhe, Navi Mumbai, to rigorous imprisonment for life for the killing of autorickshaw driver Sandeep Motiram Gaikwad and his friend Sameer Aslam Shaikh.
The incident occurred on July 26, 2017, under a bridge. The bodies of Gaikwad and Shaikh were discovered in a pool of blood with head and facial injuries inflicted by a cement paver block and a large stone.
The prosecution established a clear motive – Dhotre believed the two men had stolen Rs 20,000 which he had painstakingly arranged for his daughter’s wedding. Witnesses testified that Dhotre had visited the victims’ houses just a day prior the murder, visibly angry and issuing threats.
Additional Public Prosecutors Yogendra Patil and Varsha Chandane examined as many as 13 prosecution witnesses to prove the charges.
In his verdict, Judge Sane made several critical observations regarding scientific evidence and the accused’s failure to provide a defence.
Evidence provided by prosecution was cogent and consistent, not leaving any ground of suspicion or not making any reason to show the accused was innocent, noted the court.
While the defence argued that the motive behind the crime was not established and pointed towards lack of fingerprint evidence on murder weapons, the court found chemical analysis reports damning. PTI COR RSY
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