Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Thane court for the brutal murder of a grocer and the attempted murder of his wife in Bhiwandi in 2017. The verdict was delivered by Special Judge Amit M Shete on May 26.
What Happened?
On the night of January 26, 2017, the two convicts — Ramashish alias Ashish Rajendra Patel and Sagar Dnyaneshwar Katale broke into a grocery shop where Suresh Gupta and his wife Sunita Gupta were sleeping. When the grocer tried to resist, he was stabbed in the stomach. His wife, who raised an alarm, was also stabbed. The attackers then fled the scene.
Suresh was declared dead on arrival at the IGM Hospital, Bhiwandi, while Sunita survived after treatment.
What the Court Said
Though the police initially booked the accused under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) due to their past criminal records, the court dropped these charges. The judge stated there was no evidence of their involvement in an organised crime syndicate. Instead, they were found guilty under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 460 (house trespass with hurt), and 34 (common intention).
Judge Shete noted that the prosecution had firmly established the sequence of events and that the accused shared the intent to kill.
Sentence and Compensation
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Both accused were sentenced to life imprisonment.
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A fine of ₹80,000 was imposed, out of which ₹70,000 is to be paid to Sunita Gupta or the legal heirs of the deceased.
This judgment brings closure to a case that had remained under trial for over 8 years, offering some justice to the victim’s family.
