Mumbai Court Sentences Man To Life Imprisonment For Pre-Meditated Murder Of Notorious Drug Smuggler

Mumbai: A sessions court has sentenced a man to a life term for killing a local goon involved in drugs smuggling and named in several criminal cases, including two murder offences.

Although the prosecution didn't establish a clear motive behind the murder, the convict, Vinod Pawar, shot Janu Pawar alias Billa to allegedly avenge the death of one of his stepbrothers.

About The Cases

As per the prosecution, on March 3, 2019, Pawar along with his two stepbrothers, Raju and Baba, kept a watch on Billa, and subsequently, Pawar shot at him. The victim's wife with the help of a relative took him to a hospital where he was declared dead. However, on his way to hospital, Billa had revealed to his wife that he was shot by Pawar. This was used as a dying declaration by the prosecution during the trial. Days before the shooting, the victim had been released on bail. Ever since Pawar and his brothers were allegedly keeping an eye on him to take revenge.

Convict Surrenders Before The Police

After the murder, the convict surrendered before the police on March 5, 2019, and also revealed the murder weapon. Raju was arrested next followed by Baba who was caught nine months later on January 8, 2020. While Pawar was booked for murder, Raju and Baba were charged for instigating and aiding him.

The prosecution examined Billa's wife, who remained silent about the exact motive and reason for enmity between the two families. She, however, claimed that a day before the murder, her in-laws had come to their house and threatened to kill the victim. Relying on the prosecution evidence, the court pronounced Pawar guilty for “pre-planned murder”, but acquitted Raju and Baba for want of evidence.