2019 rape and murder case: Victim's dying declaration nails rapist, killer women in UP

AGRA: Based on the dying declaration of a 35-year-old woman who was raped and set on fire in a horrific crime in 2019, a local court in Aligarh has sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for the sexual assault and life term to her two sisters-in-law for killing her.Additional district govt counsel (ADGC) Pramendra Jain said, "In May 2019, her husband filed a police complaint stating that while he was out for work, his elder brother had raped his wife. An FIR was registered under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) against him."Jain added: "Enraged by the FIR, the accused's wife, 55, and her sister-in-law, 45, set the victim ablaze, and she suffered severe burn injuries. Moments before dying, the woman gave her account of the ordeal, which the court -- despite the witnesses turning hostile during trial -- relied upon while pronouncing the sentence on Wednesday." Following her death, all three accused were arrested. Police in Aligarh added IPC section of murder (302) against the two women and submitted a chargesheet in court."After examining the evidence and testimonies presented during trial, the court of additional sessions judge, PK Jayant, took into consideration the victim's testimony and the doctor's report and pronounced the sentences," Jain said.The court also imposed a fine of Rs 31,000 on the convicts. Both the women were in jail since their arrest, while the man was on bail. He was taken into police custody and sent back to prison.