Thane woman, accomplice get life imprisonment for murder over property

The sessions court in Maharashtras Thane city has convicted a woman and her accomplice for killing a man over a property dispute five years ago and handed life sentences to the two reported news agency PTIWhile convicting Kalpana Baliram Nagalkar 50 and Santosh Chandrakant Ghugare 35 Judge V G Mohite acquitted two coaccused identified as Geeta Avinash Arolkar and Mangesh Ganesh Murudkar citing insufficient evidence reported PTIA copy of the order dated October 10 was made available on Thursday nightAccording to Additional Public Prosecutor Rashmi Kshirsagar victim Tanaji Laxman Javir had been the caretaker of a property belonging to Kalpana Nagalkars family reported PTIAfter the death of Kalpanas husband a dispute arose as the family was reluctant to give any share in the property to Javir despite the promise by her husband when he was alive Kalpana then roped in Ghugare to kill Javir reported PTIOn July 17 2020 Ghugare invited Javir for a drinking session near a creek and served him liquor spiked with insecticide After Javirs death due to the poisonous drink his body was dumped into the creek reported PTIThe victims skeleton was later recovered from the water body while his identity was established through a DNA testKshirsagar said 13 prosecution witnesses were examined to prove the caseBesides sentencing Kalpana and Ghugare to life imprisonment the court also imposed a fine of Rs 12000 on themMan gets life imprisonment for murder of his wife in 2020In another case a court in Maharashtras Thane district has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his wife in 2020 reported PTIAdditional Sessions Judge V G Mohite on Wednesday convicted Aakash Meghji Katuva 29 for killing his wife Laxmi Katuva in November 2020 and also imposed a fine of Rs 10000 on him reported PTIAn FIR against Katuva was registered at the Kalwa police station and he has been in custody since his arrest made immediately after the incidentThe couple got married in October 2018Additional public prosecutor Rashmi Kshirsagar told the court that the accused regularly harassed the deceased over domestic matters and suspected her character reported PTIOn the day of the incident which took place at their residence in Thane citys Kalwa area he assaulted Laxmi with a lid of a pressure cooker on her head after she refused to give money for petrol After that he slashed her throat by a small knife and set her on fire by throwing thinner on her reported PTIKshirsagar stated that a total of 13 prosecution witnesses were examined during the trial to prove the charges against the accusedThe oral evidence of the medical officer and the contents of the postmortem report clearly show the death of Laxmi was homicidal There was an incised wound on her neck by sharp edged weapon and remaining injuries were by hard and blunt object which were collectively sufficient to cause her death At the same time the burn injury is also individually sufficient to cause her death the court said reported PTIThere is nothing on record to show that Laxmi has accidentally sustained burn injury as mentioned above either due to blast of stove or any other way suggested by the defence while crossexamination of prosecution witness it saidThe prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the murder the court added reported PTIWhile the prosecution sought strictest possible punishment the court noted that the case did not fall under the rarest of rare category required for a death sentenceWith inputs from PTI