2 brothers among 4 get life term in 11-year-old triple murder case in MP stemming from love affair

Seoni (MP), Mar 3 (PTI) A court in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district has sentenced four men, including two siblings, to life imprisonment for burning three people alive in a sports utility vehicle (SUV) more than 11 years ago, a gruesome crime stemming from a love affair, said the prosecution on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on the night of January 8, 2015, in the Dhobitola Mal (Piperwani) forest area under the Kurai police station limits of the district. The convicted individuals included two siblings, Shivam (28) and Vinod Bramhe (35), their relative Deendayal Bramhe (40) and associate Chandrabhoj alias Chandu Shiv (42).

First Additional Sessions Judge Laxman Kumar Verma delivered the verdict on February 27, convicting the four men for the murders.

Additional Public Prosecutor Netram Chaurasia presented evidence and witnesses before the court on behalf of the state government.

Chaurasia told PTI that the accused, armed with weapons, beat up the three victims travelling in an SUV -- Rajesh Nagotra (28), Deepak Bhanware (23), and Nihal Singore (18) -- all residents of neighbouring Balaghat district -- before dousing them and their vehicle with kerosene and petrol and setting them on fire.

The court, in its 75-page judgment, found the accused guilty under sections 302 (murder), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 435 (mischief by fire), and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The prosecution stated that the accused carried out the crime due to a love affair and family rivalry. Bhanware, one of the deceased, was in a relationship with a sister of the convicted siblings, and this was opposed by the Bramhe family, leading to the murders.

The court based its conviction on circumstantial and scientific evidence, mobile phone data, and the recovery of weapons, including swords and sticks, Chaurasia added. PTI COR LAL RSY