8 years on, duo get life terms for murder during robbery attempt in Bhiwandi   | Mumbai news

THANE: Eight years after two men fatally stabbed a house owner and seriously injured his wife during a house burglary attempt in Bhiwandi, a special MCOCA court on Tuesday sentenced them to life imprisonment. The verdict followed a detailed investigation and examination of 12 witnesses.

The complaint was filed by the 43-year-old injured, Sunita Suresh Gupta, while she was undergoing treatment in Bhiwandi Healthcare Hospital in 2017.

According to the complaint, around 2.15am on January 25, 2017, Sunita and her husband, Suresh Gupta, were sleeping in their grocery shop located below their residence in Gurudev Compound in Sonale. Two unknown men forcibly entered the shop by breaking the shutter and demanded money. Seeing Suresh resist and Sunita shout, one of the intruders stabbed her husband in the abdomen and then attacked her on the left side of her chest before fleeing. Suresh was taken to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead. Sunita was initially treated at the same hospital but later shifted to Bhiwandi Healthcare Hospital.

The investigation was carried out by then senior police inspector of Bhiwandi City and later forwarded to Bhiwandi Rural police station. Both accused were arrested and prosecuted under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), and 460 (house trespass) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA).

During the trial, Sanjay More, special public prosecutor, presented a compelling case by examining 12 witnesses whose testimonies, supported by strong evidence, led additional sessions judge Amit Shete to convict the accused under multiple sections of the IPC as well as the MCOCA.

The court sentenced both the convicts to life imprisonment for murder, accompanied by a fine of ₹50,000 each and an additional two years of simple imprisonment in case of default. They were also sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for attempt to murder with a fine of ₹20,000 and one-year imprisonment in case of default.