Nashik: The Nashik district and sessions court has sentenced a 23-year-old man to life imprisonment for the murder of a 41-year-old man in Khedle village of Dindori taluka in Sept 2023. District sessions judge R N Pandhare delivered the verdict on May 13, 2026, holding the man guilty of murder and destruction of evidence.The convict, Kiran Kadam, a resident of Korhate in Dindori, was found guilty under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), a senior official from the Nashik Rural police said."After examining the evidence on record, the court convicted Kadam and awarded life imprisonment," the officer said.According to the police, the crime occurred between 8pm and 11pm on Sept 19, 2023. Kadam reportedly went to the residence of victim Sandeep Medhane in Khedle and lured him to a secluded spot under a tamarind tree nearby. The two were known to have a prior dispute, which allegedly escalated into a heated argument."During the altercation, Kadam assaulted Medhane with sharp weapons until he died. He then poured a flammable substance on the body and set it on fire to destroy evidence," the police said.Following a complaint lodged by the victim's mother, Rambhabai Medhane, the Vani police registered a case for murder and destruction of evidence. The body was later sent to a govt hospital in Nashik for postmortem.The court sentenced Kadam to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 under section 302, with an additional six months of simple imprisonment in case of default. For the offence under section 201, he was awarded three years of simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000, with one month's additional imprisonment in case of non-payment.The investigation was led by then sub-inspector Vijaykumar Kothawale of the Vani police station. He filed a chargesheet supported by forensic and circumstantial evidence, leading to the conviction.