HC upholds life term to two for kidnapping for ransom, murder of minor

A bench of Justices Mukta Gupta and Anish Dayal dismissed the appeals filed by the two convicts against the 2020 trial court order holding them guilty of committing offences under the Indian Penal Code.

New Delhi:The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the conviction and life term awarded to two men for kidnapping for ransom and murder of a 16-year-old boy in 2009. A bench of Justices Mukta Gupta and Anish Dayal dismissed the appeals filed by the two convicts against the 2020 trial court order holding them guilty of committing offences under the Indian Penal Code.

The high court observed, in view of the testimony of the eyewitness, a boy from the school of the deceased, and other circumstantial evidences, the prosecution proved that the offences were committed by the appellants and there was no error in the judgement of the trial court. In view of the testimony of the eye-witness and the other circumstantial evidence as enumerated above, this Court finds that the prosecution has proved that the appellants committed the offences punishable under Sections 364A/302/34 IPC besides 201 IPC. Hence, there is no error in the impugned judgment of conviction and order on sentence. Appeals are accordingly dismissed, the high court said.

In July 2009, at about 2:45 pm, four people had kidnapped the deceased in a WagonR car from the road near Ujjwal Apartments in Vikas Puri and demanded Rs 20 lakh as ransom. However, in spite of receiving an amount of Rs 15 lakh, the accused murdered the minor boy and disposed of the body the next morning in Vasant Kunj jungle.

Two out of the four accused were held guilty by the trial court only for receiving the stolen mobile phone of the deceased and property obtained from ransom. The appellants in the present case challenged their conviction on several grounds, including that the sole eyewitness was a planted witness and their phone location did not match with that of the deceased's phone from which ransom calls were made. The prosecution told the high court that all circumstances and facts taken together irresistibly point to the guilt of the appellants in kidnapping the deceased for ransom and the commission of offence of murder. (PTI)