Ballia (UP), Jun 11 A local court here on Thursday sentenced four men to life imprisonment after convicting them in a double murder case in which two men were killed and a youth was seriously injured in January 2025, a prosecution official said.
According to the prosecution, Prashant Gupta, 26, and Golu Verma, 23, residents of Sikandarpur village in the Narhi area, were attacked with sharp-edged weapons and killed near a liquor vend in Narayanpur village on the night of January 1, 2025. Sixteen-year-old Jitu Gupta sustained serious injuries in the incident.
The prosecution said the incident was linked to an earlier dispute in which Golu Verma was allegedly assaulted and threatened on December 15, 2024.
According to Jitu Gupta's statement, he was intercepted and attacked while on his way to buy milk on the night of January 1. His cousin, Prashant Gupta, was allegedly attacked when he tried to rescue him. Golu Verma, who reached the spot and attempted to intervene, was also assaulted. Prashant and Golu died on the spot.
Based on complaints lodged by Golu Verma's mother Urmila Devi and Prashant Gupta's father Laxman Gupta, police registered a case on January 2 against Bittu Yadav, Shivam Rai alias Kariya, Priyanshu Rai and Rudresh Rai under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Following the investigation, police filed a chargesheet against all four accused, invoking additional provisions of the BNS.
District Government Counsel Sanjeev Singh said District Judge Anil Kumar Jha, after hearing arguments from both sides, found all four accused guilty and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.25 lakh on each convict, he added.
