Couple gets life term for killing Dalit man, dumping body in drain

Agra: A local court in Agra sentenced a husband and wife to life imprisonment for murdering a 35-year-old Dalit man, dumping his body in a drain and hiding his motorcycle at their house, the prosecution said on Thursday. Special judge, SC/ST Act court, Shiv Kumar also imposed a fine of Rs 56,000 each on the convicts, Chantai Kumar and his wife Seema Devi, both residents of Etawah district.

The case came to light on April 28, 2022, when Ruma Devi lodged a missing-person complaint at Jaitpur police station after her husband, Narayan Singh of Gajadhar Nagar, did not return home. She told police that Narayan had gone to Vaidpura village to work as a halwai and left around 7pm on his motorcycle, saying he was returning home, but never arrived.

Police registered a missing-person case and started an investigation. During the probe, the investigating officer found that Chantai, who worked with Narayan, and Seema had allegedly murdered him over his relationship with Seema, the prosecution said. Police said Chantai told investigators that the couple killed Narayan, dumped his body in a drain in Etawah and kept his motorcycle at their house. Both accused were arrested and sent to jail, though they later secured bail during trial.

Police filed a chargesheet against the couple under IPC sections 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 201 (destruction of evidence), along with relevant provisions of the SC/ST Act. Senior prosecuting officer Mrityunjay Singh said the court found both accused guilty after examining evidence and witness testimonies presented during the trial.

“The court sentenced both convicts to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 56,000 each. They were on bail during the trial and have now been sent to jail,” he said.