Absconding for 16 years, Chennai man gets life

CHENNAI: A 20-year-old murder, trial of which was delayed because the lone accused absconded for 16 years, ended in the man's conviction on Monday, when a sessions court in Poonamallee awarded him imprisonment for life.
The deceased person's son, who feared for his own life and moved to Bahrain after his father's death, was summoned to India by the court to tender his evidence.His statement played a major role in getting his father's killer convicted.
It all happened on March 8, 2003, when Gopi alias Karna, 48, murdered Dakshinamurthy, 35, a milk vendor in Valasaravakkam, over financial issues. A few days later, he surrendered to the judicial magistrate at Poonamallee and was remanded in custody. After 90 days in jail, he was released on bail, but he absconded thereafter.
When the case was taken up by the Poonamalee sessions court in 2006, a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against him. Nearly 16 years On July 9, 2019, police traced him and arrested him at Thiruvannamalai.
On Monday, the II additional district sessions judge, S Murugesan, pronounced the verdict sentencing Gopi to life imprisonment, along with a fine of 1,000. Public prosecutor K P Purachidasan argued the case.
During trial, the victim's, Ramanathan, proved to be a crucial witness. He had moved to Bahrain fearing for his life after the murder of his father. The court then issued a warrant to bring him back to India on March 22, 2022. Ramanathan testified at court on January 20, 2023.