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Bhopal killer who murdered parents and live-in partner, sentenced to life in Bengal
Udayan Das was convicted on Tuesday of murdering his live-in partner who hailed from Bankura.
‘Bhopal killer’ Udayan Das, who had shocked the country in 2016 with the murder of both parents and live-in partner Akansha Sharma was sentenced to life by a fast track court in Bankura in West Bengal on Wednesday.
Das was convicted on Tuesday. On Wednesday additional district judge Suresh Biswakarma sentenced him for life.
Das, now in his mid-30s, had killed his parents in 2010 at their home in Raipur and buried their bodies in the garden. He killed Sharma in July 2016. Later he allegedly placed her body in a metal box and poured concrete to create a mausoleum of sorts inside his bedroom. He covered the block with marble.
“We had appealed for a death sentence. The court has sentenced him for life. We welcome the order. He has been sentenced to life and fined ₹20,000 for murder and another two years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹2,000 for tampering evidence,” said A Chatterjee, public prosecutor.
“The initial case was that of abduction. Later he was charged with murder and tampering evidence. The prosecution could not prove that the woman was abducted,” said Abhishek Biswas, Das’ lawyer.
Although the courtroom used to remain packed during the earlier hearings, hardly anyone was allowed on Tuesday and Wednesday because of Covid-19.
Das was, however, nonchalant and told the judge inside the courtroom in fluent English that he wanted to challenge the order in a higher court.
“I have no repentance. Definitely we will go to the High Court and Supreme Court if necessary,” Das told reporters outside the court.
Das was the only child of his parents and used to live with them at Raipur. His father was a foreman with BHEL while his mother worked as a data analyst at Vindhyachal in Bhopal. They had three houses at Raipur, Delhi and Bhopal.
Das came in contact with Akanksha Sharma through ‘Orkut’, a defunct social networking portal, in 2007, and had convinced her that he was professional based in the US. Sharma, a native of Bankura district in West Bengal had left her parents’ house in June 2016, and met Das in Delhi. The duo then reached Bhopal, where their relationship turned sour, ending in her murder in December 27 that year.
Police arrested Das from near his home in Bhopal’s Saket Nagar area on February 2, 2017.
The murder came to light when a team of West Bengal Police came to Bhopal looking for Sharma after her parents lodged a complaint in December.
