City civil court sentences life imprisonment to four convicts

BENGALURU: On Monday the city civil court had sentenced four men to life imprisonment for a crime committed in October 2009 by finding them guilty of murdering for murdering Rahul Das, 45, an interior designer, his wife Pushpalatha, 39, and their daughter Agnisha, 10, at their residence in Jayanthi Nagar, near Horamavu in east Bengaluru.

Convicts Ramesh, 50, a landlord, and Lokesh alias Loki, 33, both residents of Horamavu; Bhaskar alias Raju, 34, from Ramamurthy Nagar and Murali, 29, from Bidarahalli.

CM Belaladavara, special public prosecutor, had told a source that, fingerprints at the crime scene and the killers' hair plucked by the girl helped the prosecution end the case in conviction. FSL experts discovered three fingerprints at the crime scene and also found a few hair strands in Agnisha's right hand. Some were found on the bed.

The quartet was released on bail after spending four years in jail. They were sent to Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara.

Belaladavara said Ramesh, the main accused, had an illicit relationship with Pushpalatha and cooked up a plan to eliminate her husband. He hired three others and gave them a contract of Rs 3 lakh to kill Rahul, paying an advance of Rs 10,000 to each. Ramesh also said the trio could share any valuables found in the house. But the trio, ended up murdering Pushpalatha and her daughter as well, fearing they may tell others about the murder. According to the prosecution, Pushpalatha didn't know Ramesh had placed a hit to kill her husband.

FSL experts discovered three fingerprints at the crime scene and also found a few hair strands in Agnisha's right hand. Some were found on the bed.

Police said, all three bodies were found in the bathroom. Belaladavara said the killers had put Rahul's head in a bucket of water and his wife and daughter's bodies in the bathtub to make sure they were dead.

The incident came to light two days later on October 23, 2009 and the case was cracked when one of the accused tried to dispose of Pushpalatha stolen gold in Nandini Layout.