17 years on, three get life in jail for murdering nephew in Greater Noida
Prosecution witnesses told the court that the victim’s father passed away when he was an infant, and the uncles harboured a grudge against him, ultimately killing him to seize his share of the property
A sessions court in Surajpur, Greater Noida, convicted three men for the murder of their 21-year-old nephew in village Kherli of Dankaur, which took place about 17 years ago, prosecution officials said on Tuesday.
On April 22, 2007, Veereshwar Pratap alias Pintu (21), a resident of village Kherli of Dankaur, was shot dead at his uncle Gyaani’s home where his other uncles Harveer, Ved and Hari were present as well.
Prosecution witnesses told the court that the victim’s father passed away when he was an infant, and the uncles harboured a grudge against him, ultimately killing him to seize his share of the property.
Amit Sharma, additional district government counsel (ADGC), said the deceased Pintu’s maternal uncle Salek Chand had filed a complaint at Dankaur police station accusing the four uncles – all in their 40s at the time of crime – for the murder.
“Pintu’s father Meghraj had died when Pintu was two year old. According to complainant Chand, Pintu had some ancestral property that his uncles wanted to grab. The day of the murder, his uncles called him to discuss plaster works of some shops on the ancestral land. This led to an argument among them. The four persons hit him with rods and then shot him dead,” said Sharma.
Pintu’s mother Bala and other relatives reached the spot on hearing the gunshots and rushed Pintu to Kailash Hospital. He succumbed to injuries three days later.
Police booked four persons under section 307 (attempt to murder) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and under relevant sections of the Arms Act, said Sharma.
“The suspects were arrested, produced in court and sent to judicial custody. The police also recovered a countrymade gun used in the crime from a field based on the interrogation of the suspects,” said the ADGC.
A chargesheet was filed in the case on July 5, 2007, and charges were framed on August 7, 2007.
The deceased’s mother Bala told the court that the four accused called her son to discuss some construction works. “They took Pintu from home and then fought with him. The accused brought guns and asked Pintu to surrender. When Pintu raised his hands, Ved fired at him. Then Gyani also opened fire and fatally wounded him,” she said.
Prosecution said Ved died of illness on August 23, 2014, and his name was removed from the case. The prosecution produced 11 witnesses including the complainant, police personnel and doctors. In the postmortem report, doctors said the victim received three bullet injuries in the abdomen and he died of blood loss.
The defence lawyer Inderveer Singh Bhati argued that his clients were framed in this case and hence they should be acquitted.
Rajesh Kumar Mishra, additional district sessions judge, on Monday relied on the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and medical evidence and convicted the three persons. “Gyani, Harveer and Hari are sentenced to life imprisonment and fined ₹20,000 each under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC. They are also sentenced to three years of imprisonment and fined ₹5,000 each under Section 25 of the Arms Act and one year imprisonment and ₹1,000 fine each under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC,” the court said in its order.
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