Sama man who killed wife, daughter gets life imprisonment

Vadodara: A man from the city was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his wife and daughter. The additional sessions court found Tejas Patel guilty after the prosecution presented evidence proving him guilty of the double murder.Patel, who used to work as a salesman in an electronic goods showroom, was arrested in 2021. According to the case details, Patel didn't get along with his wife, Shobhana. Patel was interested in another woman, which was the principal reason for their strained relationship, apart from Shobhana's purported arguments with her in-laws. Patel decided to kill Shobhana and their six-year-old daughter, Kavya. On the night of Oct 10, 2021, Patel got rat poison, mixed it in ice cream and gave it Shobhana and Kavya at their house in Sama. When Shobhana and Kavya fell unconscious, he strangled Shobhana and then smothered Kavya. A day after the murder, Patel feigned ignorance and told relatives that Shobhana and Kavya were not waking up. They were rushed to a private hospital where the doctors declared them dead. Traces of the poison were found in their bodies, and the doctors noticed marks on Shobhana's neck. Police then questioned Patel, who broke down and confessed to the murders. Investigators found Patel had searched the internet for ‘easy ways of killing and poisoning'. The prosecution argued the murders were premeditated and planned. The court sentenced Patel to life imprisonment and fined him Rs 25,000.