NASHIK: The Nashik district and sessions court on Friday awarded life imprisonment to a 34-year-old man in connection with the murder case of a 32-year-old widow with whom he had a relationship.
The convict, Pravin Doiphode, has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000 and on the non-payment of the same, he would have to serve another six months of simple imprisonment.
On September 8, 2019, Doiphode had set the woman on fire in her rented house. Assistant public prosecutor (APP) Yogesh Kapse said while Doiphode told the police that it was an accident, the victim, in her dying statement the next day, told the police that she was set on fire.
Subsequently, a murder case was registered with the Adgaon police station. The case was investigated by PSI Dinesh Mule.
The investigating officer gathered all the evidence and submitted the chargesheet in the district and sessions court.
The case was heard in the court of district and sessions judge R R Rathi. On Friday, on studying the statements of the complainant, witnesses and the panch, Judge Rathi found Doiphode guilty of the offence and convicted him on the charge of murder.
APP Kapse said the statement of the landlord, in whose property the victim was staying on rent, was crucial. The landlord, on detecting smoke emanating from the widow of the house, had opened the door and found the woman up in flames, while Doiphode was standing there doing nothing. The landlord and others in the neighbourhood asked him to take the woman to hospital in an autorickshaw. Instead, he took her on a bike and later gave a statement to the police that she had caught fire accidentally.
The convict had no burns on his hands, palms etc. This showed that he had made no attempt to douse the fire.
The dying declaration of the victim was also important, said the assistant public prosecutor.
