Noida man sentenced to life in jail for killing wife, two daughters over dowry

A 36-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment for the remainder of his life by the district court in Surajpur for strangulating his wife and two daughters at their residence in Noida in 2014, court officials said on Wednesday.

The additional district and sessions court sentenced Amit Shyam to life imprisonment on Tuesday for killing his wife Sarla (24) and two daughters -- one aged two years and the other eight months -- on May 26, 2014, at his residence in Bhangel village of Noida.

According to the prosecution, Shyam killed his wife by strangulation and children by smothering them. Sarla’s father Joginder Singh filed a complaint in the matter at the Phase-2 police station after learning about his daughter and granddaughters’ deaths.

“In his complaint, Singh said Sarla and Shyam got married on February 8, 2011. He said he gave dowry and gifts to his daughter’s in-laws during the wedding. However, after the wedding, her in-laws started harassing her for bringing less dowry. The complaint further said Sarla was taunted for bearing two daughters. He alleged that Shyam, his father Radhey Shyam, mother Sukhbiri, brothers Devendra and Lalit and sister-in-law Manju were started demanding a Swift car and ₹2 lakh in cash as dowry. Unable to fulfil these demands, they murdered Sarla and the two children, Singh alleged,” said advocate Lalit Nagar.

An FIR was registered at the Phase-2 police station under charges of murder, and relevant sections of Dowry Prohibition Act. The woman’s husband and other in-laws named in the FIR were arrested on May 29, 2014, from their residence.

The trial of the case began on February 23, 2015.

During the trial, the prosecutor presented seven witnesses, including the father and brother of the deceased woman, police officers and forensic experts.

The father told the court that two months before the incident, Sarla left her matrimonial home to return to her home.

“However, 15 to 20 days before the incident, the in-laws took my daughter back to her matrimonial home. A panchayat was held and the husband’s side promised that they will never ask for more dowry,” the father told the court.

Later on May 24, 2014, Sarla called her father and told him about the harassment she was again facing.

“My daughter told me that there is threat to her and her daughters’ lives. I told her that we will come and talk to her in-laws. However, two days later on May 26, about 6.30am, I got a call from an unknown person who informed me that my daughter and granddaughters have been killed,” the father told the court.

The father also told the court that his daughter was tortured to bear a son. “Before the birth of their second child, my daughter’s in-laws pressured her to go through a sex determination test. After the birth of the second daughter, my daughter was taunted daily by her husband that he would marry another woman to get a son,” Singh told court.

The court relied on the prosecution witnesses and medical reports and convicted Shyam but acquitted his parents and siblings for want of sufficient evidence against them.

“For the offence of causing death of his wife Sarla and his two daughters, the convict is sentenced to life imprisonment till he his alive and a fine of ₹50,000,” said additional district and sessions judge Vijay Kumar Himanshu. on Tuesday.