Patna, Feb 12 (IANS) A Begusarai district court on Thursday awarded the death penalty to Vikas Kumar alias Vikas Singh in the 2019 Machha village triple murder case under the Singhaul police station limits.

The sentence was pronounced by the court of District and Sessions Judge-III Brajesh Kumar Singh through video conferencing, as the convict is currently lodged in Beur Jail, Patna.

According to court sources, this is the first instance in Begusarai district where a death sentence has been pronounced via video conferencing.

As per the prosecution, the crime stemmed from a long-standing dispute over four acres of ancestral land within the family.

In 2012, the accused had allegedly murdered his uncle, Arun Singh, in connection with the same dispute and was sentenced to life imprisonment in that case. A separate case relating to the alleged murder of his aunt Munni Devi in 2017 remains pending before the court.

The deceased Kunal Singh, brother of the accused, was a key witness in both earlier cases. The prosecution submitted that Vikas Singh had repeatedly pressured family members not to depose against him and, upon their refusal, conspired to eliminate them.

On the night of October 27, 2019, at around 10 p.m., the accused allegedly shot dead his brother Kunal Singh, sister-in-law Kanchan Devi and 17-year-old niece Sonam Kumari inside their residence.

While fleeing, he allegedly encountered his nephew Shivam Kumar and fired at him after pointing a pistol at his chest. The bullet missed, and Shivam survived the attack.

According to the prosecution, when Shivam entered the house, he found his parents and sister lying dead.

The case was argued by Additional Public Prosecutor Ram Prakash Yadav. During the trial, several witnesses, including Babu Saheb Singh, Vijay Singh, Dr Sanjay Kumar, Satyam Kumar, eyewitness Shivam Kumar and investigating officer Manish Kumar Singh, deposed before the court.

Relying on eyewitness testimony, medical evidence and investigative findings, the court held the accused guilty and awarded capital punishment.

The judgment has drawn attention in Begusarai district, given the gravity of the crime and the manner in which the sentence was delivered.

–IANS

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