Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): A man and his two accomplices have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his daughter.
The accused were identified as Ishwar Pataliya and his accomplices Mukesh Mandav and Prithviraj.
TC Billore, deputy director (prosecution), special public prosecutor, Dhar said the court of additional session court class first pronounced the judgement.
Billore said the crime, which took place on February 6, 2020, came to light when the Mandwa police station in-charge received a report of a girl's body with her face crushed beyond recognition under the Rangaon Satghata culvert.
Upon investigation, she was identified as Roshni, aged 15-16 years. She was still in her school uniform, making the scene even more harrowing.
A case was registered under section 302 of the IPC and the subsequent investigation led to the identification of the deceased by her uncle Bhagwan and sister Archana. They recognised Roshni by the black anklet, amulet and a golden watch she wore.
Key witness Mevsingh, a cleaner at Gajanand Petrol Pump Bagri Phat, reported seeing a white car at the petrol pump on the day of the murder. He heard cries for help from the car, which he initially dismissed as a mobile ringtone. The next day, he connected the incident to the discovery of Roshniís body.
During the investigation, Prithviraj confessed to borrowing the car from his friend Rishabh and along with Mukesh, taking Roshni and another girl, Pinky, on a drive. They visited various locations, and after dropping Pinky off, they took Roshni to a secluded area where Mukesh forced pesticide into her mouth, causing her to faint.
Mukesh then contacted Roshni's father, Ishwar, who provided money for fuel but did not intervene to save his daughter. Later, Prithviraj and Mukesh brutally murdered Roshni by slitting her throat and mutilating her face with stones to hide her identity.
The court found all three men guilty of the heinous crime, delivering a life imprisonment sentence to each of them.
