Ratlam (MP), Jun 20 A court in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district has sentenced three men to triple life imprisonment for murdering a family of three during a robbery in 2020.
Additional Sessions Judge Rajesh Namdev convicted Anurag alias Bobby Parmar (33), Gaurav alias Golu Bilwal (29) and Lala alias Bharat Bhabhor (27) and awarded them life imprisonment for each of the three murders along with a fine, additional public prosecutor Samarth Patidar told reporters on Saturday.
The judgement was pronounced on Friday.
A fourth accused in the case, Dilip Deval, was killed in a police encounter.
According to the prosecution, Govind Solanki, his wife Sharda and their daughter Divya were shot dead at their residence in Rajiv Nagar area on the night of November 25, 2020, which coincided with Dev Deepawali celebrations.
The crime came to light the next morning when the family's tenant, Jwelika, noticed that her scooter was missing, and went to check on the family.
A police team led by then Industrial Area police station house officer Rewal Singh Barad cracked the case with the help of CCTV footage and other evidence, Patidar said.
The accused were arrested from Ratlam and neighbouring Gujarat.
Deval opened fire when a police team closed in on him, and was killed in retaliatory firing, the prosecutor said. A search of his rented accommodation in Ratlam led to the recovery of a country-made pistol, live cartridges, jewellery and other incriminating material.
The court convicted the accused on the basis of circumstantial evidence, DNA and ballistic reports, CCTV footage, recovery of weapons, blood-stained clothes and jewellery looted from the victims, besides other scientific evidence.
Patidar said DNA examination established that blood samples found on trousers, lower garments, handkerchiefs and footwear seized from the accused matched those of the three victims. The DNA of accused Lala was also found on the handle of the complainant's scooter, he said.
The prosecution examined 33 witnesses during the trial.
According to police, the accused chose the night of Dev Deepawali for the robbery thinking that the sound of gunshots would be masked by firecrackers.
