Haryana: Murder case complainant found to have killed neighbour; gets life term

GURGAON: A man who had reported his neighbour’s murder to police three years ago was found to have actually killed him during trial at a Panipat court, which sentenced him to life imprisonment.
On April 26, 2021, Pintu had approached cops, claiming he had seen some 4-5 men killing his neighbour Rana with knives and a screwdriver the previous night. Rana’s body was found by the railway tracks in Panipat.

As hearings started in court, the testimonies of two friends, who had actually seen the murder, turned the tide against Pintu.This Saturday, sessions judge Sudesh Kumar Sharma found him guilty of Rana’s murder and sent him to prison for life.
Assistant public prosecutor Rahul Arora said Pintu suspected Rana of having “an evil eye on his wife” and planned to kill him. On the night of April 25 three years ago, Pintu persuaded Rana to accompany him to a deserted ground near the railway tracks and attacked him with a knife. He succumbed to injuries before he was wheeled into a hospital.
Pintu then walked into Old Industrial police station of Panipat the next day and reported Rana’s murder. An FIR was registered under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and provisions of the Arms Act against unknown persons.
“After the murder, Pintu called up Rana’s brother and took him to a general hospital in Panipat, where he was declared dead on arrival. He lodged the complaint to mislead police, saying he had seen 4-5 men killing Rana with knives and a screwdriver,” said Arora.
During trial, the prosecution presented two witnesses whose statements lifted the veil off the mystery. Vicky and Sagar told the court they had accompanied Rana on the night of April 25 and even suffered injuries trying to stop the attack on him.
After their statements were recorded, Pintu was arrested on May 1, 2021.
As the case turned on its head, Dinesh Garg — who represented Pintu in court — argued that the two witnesses were not independent but Rana’s friends and that their version could be motivated.
The court, however, relied on the statements and medical evidence to convict Pintu. It also referred to several relevant legal precedents that focused on the “integrity of direct evidence”.
On Thursday, judge Sharma found Pintu guilty in a verdict that was based on “substantiated evidence, corroborated by forensic findings and corroborative witness testimonies”. Pintu was handed the life term and fined Rs 25,000 as well.