2 sentenced to death for Vashi boy's murder
A fast-track court of the Thane sessions court sentenced two people to death on Tuesday for the kidnap and murder of a three-and-a half-year-old boy. This is the first time in 16 years that capital judgment has been awarded at the Thane court.
A fast-track court of the Thane sessions court sentenced two people to death on Tuesday for the kidnap and murder of a three-and-a half-year-old boy. This is the first time in 16 years that capital judgment has been awarded at the Thane court.
Extra joint adhoc additional sessions judge, DN Bhargande, awarded the sentence to Nihal Sheikh, 30, and Rafiq Sayyed, 28, for killing Vashi resident, Nitesh Wadhwa.
The duo and a third accused Naseem Ansari, 24, kidnapped Nitesh on April 26, 2004. His parents filed a complaint with the police on the same day.
They received a call from the accused on May 1, 2004, demanding a ransom of Rs 15 lakh. The family paid Rs50,000 to the accused on May 14, 2004 and brought the ransom amount down to Rs 6 lakh. The accused asked the family to get Rs 5.50 lakh on May 24, 2004, when the police laid a trap and arrested them.
Sheikh, Sayyed and Ansari - who was a minor at the time and is being tried in juvenile court - kept a watch on Nitesh for seven days. On the eighth day, they kidnapped him and took him to their residence.
The accused murdered Nitesh, who was crying continuously and buried him a few days after the kidnapping. The first call to his parents was made after they murdered him.
The judge said the case was rarest of rare and took objection to the fact that the accused did not have compassion for the child and accepted the ransom despite murdering him.
Deshmukh added the death sentence will have to be confirmed by the high court.
Public prosecutor Hemlata Deshmukh said the two accused shall be hanged for committing offences under section 364 A (kidnapping for ransom) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. They also got seven years' rigorous imprisonment for extortion and hiding evidence.
