Man gets life term for killing live-in partner in 2018

A man in Thane has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his live-in partner in 2018. The victim's son, who was six at the time, played a key role in the conviction. The man assaulted and strangled the woman before hanging her to death.

Thane: The Thane district sessions court on Thursday sentenced a 34-year-old man to life imprisonment for murdering his live-in partner in 2018. According to the police, the 30-year-old victim’s son, who was then six years old, gave an eyewitness account and played a key role in the conviction.

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According to the chargesheet, the convict, Omprakash Shitlaprasad Kaul alias Adivashi, used to live with his girlfriend, Sonia Kuttu Adivashi, 30, in a rented room on the second floor of Sangeeta Niwas in Govegaon, Bhiwandi.

Both Kaul and Sonia had three children each from their respective first marriages, it stated, adding, “However, after they started living together, Kaul would send some money for his first wife and children and Sonia resented it, leading to fights between them.”

A senior officer from the Kongaon police station said that on July 31, 2018, both had arguments on the same issue and in anger, Kaul assaulted Sonia and strangled her till she fell unconscious. “He later hanged her to death by the ceiling fan. Sonia’s son from the first marriage, who was six years old then, was at home at the time of the murder and became a prime witness in the case,” the officer added.

“After the trial began, we gave confidence to the son, who was sure that he saw Kaul was trying to strangle her and later hanged her by the fan. After producing 12 witnesses and other evidence, sessions court Judge Abhay J Mantri sentenced him to life imprisonment and asked to give ₹10,000 to each child of the deceased,” the officer said.