"Calculated Killing": Maharashtra Man Jailed For Murdering Bedridden Wife
Thane:
A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 71-year-old man to rigorous imprisonment for life for murdering his bedridden wife, citing that it was a "deliberate and calculated killing".
Additional sessions judge V L Bhosale convicted Shobhnath Rajeshwar Shukla of charges under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code for the murder of his wife, Sharada.
A copy of the order, dated June 12, was made available on Monday.
The court sentenced the septuagenarian to rigorous imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him.
The court, while refusing to show leniency towards the accused, took note of the "calculated nature of murder" and "complete exploitation of the victim's vulnerability", saying "mercy cannot be extended at the cost of justice." As per the case details, the victim died at her house in the Wagle Estate area of Thane city on November 8, 2019, and one of her sons was informed about her death. At the Civil Hospital, the victim's son observed suspicious marks on her neck, covered with a white ointment, prompting him to file a police complaint.
The post-mortem report concluded Sharada's death was due to asphyxia.
Additional public prosecutor R P Patil informed the court about the strained relationship between the elderly couple.
Sharada, a widow with three sons from her first marriage, married Shobhnath, also a widower. There was a dispute between the couple over a room constructed with money from the sale of Sharada's first husband's property. She wished to transfer her share of the room to her youngest son, but Shobhnath resisted, wanting it to be transferred to his son, Ashok.
The prosecution said Sharada had become bedridden after a fall in June 2019, making her entirely dependent on Shobhnath for care.
Witnesses, including Sharada's sons, Vishal and Amol Yadav, testified to Shobhnath's frequent complaints about the burden of her care and his threats about killing her.
Defence counsel Sandeep Yewale argued that it was a case of suicide, citing inconsistencies in witness testimonies and the medical officer's inability to definitively opine on whether death was caused by hanging or strangulation.
The court, however, observed that the victim's bedridden condition eliminated the possibility of suicide, as self-strangulation was anatomically impossible due to her physical limitation.
The judge, while convicting the accused, highlighted the threatening statements he had made, the property dispute, his frustration as a caregiver, and his suspicious behaviour post the incident, including his attempt to pass off the ligature mark as a "mangalsutra mark".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Woman killed by Nepalese tenant in Himachal's Shimla
Santosh's son Devender Kumar filed a complaint stating that he found his mother dead on the floor on Sunday. Shocked by this, he began knocking at Prem's door who lived in the same building, they said. The accused was identified as Prem (36), a native of Nepal and the deceased was identified as Santosh (56), police said. Shimla, Jun 23 (PTI) A woman was killed allegedly by a Nepalese tenant in her building in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district, police said on Monday. However, Prem did not open the door. Growing suspicious, Devender broke it open and found him lying unconscious on the floor. Following this, Devender called the police, they added. Police reached the spot and sent Santosh's body for post-mortem. They also took Prem to the Civil Hospital in Solan. He was then referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla for further treatment. During the initial investigation, police found that Prem was drunk when he killed Santosh. 'After committing the crime, he consumed some pesticide and was found unconscious at the scene,' Superintendent of Police (SP) Solan, Gaurav Singh said. Kumar also told the police that Prem had been living in the building for the past year. A case was registered under section 103(1) (murder) of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is underway, Singh said. PTI COR HIG This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Delhi Police bust major ATF smuggling racket, seize 72,000 litres of siphoned Aviation Turbine Fuel
The Delhi Police Sunday busted a racket involved in the smuggling and sale of Aviation Turbine Fuel in the black market, and said they seized 72,000 litres of siphoned ATF worth Rs 1.62 crore from a concealed godown in Outer Delhi's Mundka area as part of their raid. The operation by the Inter-State Cell (ISC) of the Delhi Police Crime Branch led to the arrest of six men. The key accused has been identified as Gaya Prasad Yadav, 43, the godown owner and the alleged mastermind of the racket, who is a former tanker driver. He used to allegedly buy the stolen ATF at Rs 30 per litre and sell it at Rs 50. Another accused, Rajkumar Chaudhary, 53, was a major ATF purchaser, reselling the fuel in the open market at a profit. The other arrested individuals include Ashpal Singh Bhullar, 53, a transporter operating multiple trucks, including the three seized; drivers Ram Bharose Yadav, 44, Anjay Roy, 41, and Subodh Kumar Yadav, 32. Two helpers of the drivers, both named Parveen Kumar Yadav, aged 25 and 19, have been asked not to leave the city. The breakthrough came after sustained surveillance and intelligence inputs gathered by the ISC team led by Inspector Mahipal Singh and supervised by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ramesh Chander Lamba. Based on a tip-off received by Head Constable Sunil, the team conducted a targeted raid at a nondescript godown in Mundka, the police said. According to the police, three oil tankers, each carrying 24,000 litres of ATF, were seized during the raid. Two pickup trucks, forged dip rods used to fake delivery logs, duplicate master keys to unlock the tankers, Rs 1.05 lakh in cash, and multiple drums with the stolen fuel were also seized from the spot. 'The ATF was originally loaded at HPCL Asoda Depot, Bahadurgarh, for delivery to Indira Gandhi International Airport. The accused drivers, in collusion with the transporter and godown operator, manipulated the GPS tracking system and diverted the tankers to the Mundka godown,' said Aditya Gautam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch). 'The tanker locks – secured with keys exclusive to the destination depot – were bypassed using duplicate keys. Forged dip rods were used to simulate legitimate delivery measurements. The siphoned ATF was then sold in the open market under the guise of Mineral Turpentine Oil, which is commonly used in the ink and paint industry,' he added. The police have stated that the racket had been operational for nearly three years, with an estimated 5,000 litres of ATF being siphoned off daily. The seized fuel and tankers have been handed over to the oil company concerned after due documentation. Further investigation is underway to trace additional beneficiaries of the racket.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Rohtak Farmer Ends Life After Wife's Betrayal; Suicide Note Reveals Affair, Extortion And Abuse
Last Updated: In video testimonies recorded just before his death on June 18, Magan detailed how Divya and Deepak allegedly harassed him, demanding money under various pretexts A heartbreaking tale of betrayal, blackmail, and emotional torment has come to light from Dobh village in Haryana's Rohtak, where a young farmer ended his life, leaving behind explosive video messages that have sent shockwaves across the region. Magan, a modest and hard-working farmer, had lived a quiet life in Dobh until a harrowing revelation shattered his world. A year and a half into his marriage, he discovered that his wife, Divya, was already married and had a child. Despite the betrayal, Magan chose compassion over confrontation. Instead of filing a legal case, he paid off Divya's previous husband to formally separate the two, hoping to give his marriage a second chance. But peace eluded him. Over time, Divya's behaviour began to change, and Magan suspected she was involved with someone else. His suspicions were confirmed when he learned of her romantic involvement with a police officer named Deepak, posted in Sambhaji Nagar, Aurangabad. What followed, according to Magan's own words, was a spiral of psychological abuse and relentless extortion that pushed him to the brink. In video testimonies recorded just before his death on June 18, Magan detailed how Divya and Deepak allegedly harassed him, demanding money under various pretexts. He said Deepak wanted Rs 5 lakh for a job promotion and pressured him through Divya. 'I sold wheat I had cultivated with my own hands and gave Rs 1.5 lakh," Magan stated in the video, adding that on June 9, he mortgaged his gold bangle and somehow raised Rs 2 lakh which Divya transferred to Deepak's account. But the demands didn't stop. Magan revealed that Divya and Deepak began insisting on another Rs 1.5 lakh and even allegedly threatened to frame him for the murder of his own father unless he sold his ancestral land. The final blow came when Divya sent Magan a video of herself dancing intimately with Deepak, a clip that reportedly plunged him into a deep depression. The day he took his life, Magan recorded two emotionally charged videos and posted them on social media. In them, he pleaded for justice and narrated his ordeal, naming Divya and Deepak as his abusers. Addressing his adopted sister, Savita Arya, a social worker in Panipat, he voiced a powerful concern, 'Sister, when women cry, they are heard, even if they're wrong. But even if men are right, they die unheard. Please do something for men too." He also appealed to Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda and Meham MLA Balram Dangi, requesting them to ensure that his son would be cared for by his aging parents after his death. 'Please visit my home," he urged, 'and assure them that my child will remain with them." Shortly after uploading the videos, Magan walked to his farm and hanged himself from a tree. His death has cast a pall of grief over Dobh village. Villagers and family members, devastated by the tragedy, have demanded that authorities take swift and strict action against Divya and Deepak.
