Chembur resident gets life term for killing roommate

MUMBAI: A 38-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his roommate over a money dispute, strangling him in Chembur in 2017.

MUMBAI: The sessions court on December 6 sentenced a 38-year-old Chembur resident to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of murdering his roommate during a dispute over money. The incident took place on June 6, 2017, when the accused, Pankaj Mishra allegedly strangled his roommate, Amrut Kumar Gauda, during a dispute over money.

Chembur resident gets life term for killing roommate

Mishra lived in a rented room with two men in Chembur camp. On the day of the incident, one roommate was away in his hometown. The other roommate, Gauda, an autorickshaw driver by profession, was allegedly demanding money from the accused. Mishra then strangled Gauda using a handkerchief at around 10.30am, the prosecution said.

Lalchand Jaiswal, the owner of auto rickshaw Gauda rode, witnessed this and immediately informed the room owner, who then came with neighbours and opened the door. Gauda was found lying unconscious in the bathroom. A doctor was subsequently called, who declared Gauda dead. The neighbours caught Mishra when he was attempting to escape. In his statement, Jaiswal said Mishra pre-planned the murder and by having Gauda drink alcohol so that he cannot overpower him in an inebriated state.

The prosecution recorded evidence of 17 witnesses, with the prime witness being Jaiswal who affirmed that Mishra strangled Gauda in his presence. The landlady said Gauda was found in a sitting position in the washroom.

The accused, in his statement submitted that he was falsely implicated in the case by Jaiswal and the landlady. The defence submitted that panchnama does not mention either landlady or Jaiswal was present at the time of the incident. They added that there is nothing incriminating in the panchnama against the accused. The defence contended that Jaiswal’s evidence required scrutiny as he was a co-accused, and claimed he was heavily drunk and passed out when the incident occurred.

The court stated nothing from Jaiswal’s cross examination indicates he had any reason to participate in the offence and to falsely implicate the accused. There was sufficient evidence to prove that Mishra and Gauda were having a fight over money related issues. “There was quarrel between them during the night and in the early hours on the day of incident. Therefore, the accused strangled the deceased by means of a handkerchief, as a result of which the deceased died on the spot”, observed the court.

Finding Mishra guilty of committing the murder, the sessions judge said, “The very nature of the act reflects clear intention on the part of the accused to cause death of the deceased and clearly fits in the definition of murder as provided in section 300 of IPC.”