E-Paper
Panchkula court sentences gangster to life term for killing rival Bhupesh Rana
On December 19, the judge had convicted Gaurav Roda for shooting Bhupesh Rana, 27, at a Barwala market, metres from a police station, on April 16, 2018.
A Panchkula court on Thursday sentenced gangster Gaurav alias Roda, 25, to life imprisonment for the murder of his rival, Bhupesh Rana, in Barwala in 2018.
District and sessions judge, Ved Prakash Sirohi, also imposed a fine of ₹35,000 and handed down Gaurav a five-year jail sentence for his conviction under the Arms Act. The term will run concurrently.
“Convict Gaurav alias Roda opened indiscriminate fire at Bhupesh Rana from his country-made pistol and murdered him without any provocation. Thus, he does not deserve any leniency,” read the order.
Public prosecutor, Naresh Kumar Garg, had submitted before the court, “In view of the nature of the crime and gravity of the offence, the convict does not deserve any leniency and he should be awarded stringent punishment to send a message to other like-minded people in the society.”
Gaurav’s counsel had sought leniency while submitting that he is unmarried and has a bed-ridden mother.
On December 19, the judge had convicted Gaurav for shooting Bhupesh Rana, 27, at a market in Barwala, metres away from a police station, on April 16, 2018.
Haryana Police had attributed the murder to gang rivalry and arrested Bhupinder Singh, alias Bhupi Rana, of Mohali, whose name figured in the dreaded gangsters list of Punjab Police. Police said Bhupi Rana had conspired to kill Bhupesh Rana to avenge the murder of his gang member in 2014.
Besides this, Sukhpreet Buddha, Kulvir Rana and Ram Kumar Pata had also been arrested. Police claimed that Sukhpreet was among the shooters who shot Bhupesh Rana, while Ram Kumar Pata had carried out the recee before the murder, while Kulvir had harboured the accused.
The court, however, acquitted all four as the prosecution failed to prove the allegations in the wake of witnesses turning hostile.
“The prosecution has not examined any witness who can state before the court that he had ever seen all the accused sitting together and conspiring in the murder of Bhupesh Rana. No scientific evidence has been collected by the investigating agency. The call record details and the location of cellphones of the accused have not been collected to at least prove that at some point of time, all the accused were at the same location. Mere disclosure statements of the accused themselves, made in police custody, are inadmissible in evidence unless any such disclosure statement leads to any discovery of fact and recovery of any incriminating material. Therefore, no case under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code is made out against any of the accused,” ruled the court while acquitting them.
Another gangster, Gaurav Patiala, alias Lucky Patial, who was also named in the case, is yet to be arrested and is said to have fled to Romania.
