Digital Desk |
Bhavnagar, Nov 5 (IANS) A court in Bhavnagar district has sentenced a man convicted of the brutal murder of a woman to imprisonment for the remainder of his life, with the trial concluding within 31 days, police said on Thursday.
The accused, Faisal alias Khatki Lakhani, was convicted of murdering Kajalben DBaraiya near the public entry gate of the Bhavnagar State Transport (ST) bus stand on September 3.
The sentence was pronounced on November 5, following the completion of the trial, according to Nilambaug police.
Police said Lakhani, a native of Vartej who was living on the footpath near the bus stand, allegedly attacked Baraiya to establish his dominance in the area.
He abused her, repeatedly kicked and punched her, grabbed her by the hair and smashed her head against a wall and the tiled floor. He also struck her on the head, neck and sides, causing fatal injuries.
A case was registered at Nilambaug police station on September 4.
Given the seriousness of the crime, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed on the instructions of Range Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rajendra Asari, under the supervision of Bhavnagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Nitesh Pandey and the supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy SP) R R Singhal.
The SIT included Nilambaug police inspector D P Undakat, Bortalav police sub-inspector A G Brind, head constable Rajeshbhai Dave, police constables Mahendrasinh Sarvaiya, Wahidbhai Sheikh and Rajnikant Dave, along with the surveillance team.
During the investigation, police questioned eyewitnesses and recorded their statements before a magistrate under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
CCTV footage from the area was collected and examined with the assistance of the forensic department to establish the identities of the accused and the victim.
Forensic officials also visited the crime scene and collected evidence. A post-mortem examination at Sir-T Hospital established the cause of death. Police submitted the chargesheet before the court on October 4, a month after the murder.
The state government appointed senior advocate Utpal Dave as special public prosecutor to conduct the trial.
The prosecution relied on the testimonies of the complainant, eyewitnesses and panch witnesses, along with the evidence collected during the investigation.
“The court found the charges proved beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced Lakhani to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life today,” officials said.
Police also said the accused had allegedly arranged the kidnapping of an eyewitness, an important prosecution witness, to prevent him from testifying in court.
The witness was allegedly held captive for three days. A separate case was registered at Nilambaug police station in connection with the incident, and police ensured that the witness was brought to court to depose.
According to Bhavnagar police, this is the first case in the district in which a trial has been completed and an accused sentenced within 31 days.
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