Mathura (UP), May 22 (IANS) In a landmark judgment, a fast-track court in UP’s Mathura has sentenced Sukhvir Singh to rigorous life imprisonment for raping and murdering his girlfriend in a guest house in 2020.

The verdict was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge, Fast-Track Court for Crimes Against Women-I, Vijay Kumar Singh.

The court also imposed a monetary fine on the convict.

According to the prosecution, Sukhvir Singh, 31, a resident of Nagla Pohpi under the Refinery police station area in Mathura district, had been in a relationship with the woman for nearly six years. However, the woman’s family had fixed her marriage with another man from Azad Nagar in Mathura, and the wedding was scheduled for December 10, 2020.

The prosecution stated that Sukhvir Singh became upset and enraged after learning about the marriage arrangement and allegedly conspired to kill her.

On December 2, 2020, the victim had gone to the market to purchase items related to her upcoming wedding when Sukhvir Singh allegedly contacted her through WhatsApp and called her to the Gopi Krishna Guest House near Mathura Barrage Mor.

According to the prosecution, the accused took the woman to Room No. 12 of the guest house, where he forcibly established physical relations with her. Later, while speaking with her, he allegedly took her into the bathroom and shot her at point-blank range using an illegal .315 bore country-made pistol concealed on his person.

The victim died on the spot after sustaining a bullet injury to the temple.

The sound of the gunshot created panic inside the guest house, prompting staff members and others nearby to gather outside the room. The accused allegedly panicked and informed the police about the incident.

Upon receiving information, Senior Sub-Inspector Sunil Kumar Joshi, along with a police team and forensic experts, reached the spot. Police officials opened the door of Room No. 12 and arrested Sukhvir Singh from the scene.

Inside the bathroom, the police found the woman’s body lying in a pool of blood. During the search operation, officials recovered the country-made pistol allegedly used in the crime, along with a spent cartridge from the floor and four live cartridges from the accused’s pocket.

The prosecution was led by Additional District Government Counsel (Criminal) Subhash Chaturvedi, who presented 11 witnesses before the court along with scientific and documentary evidence, including the post-mortem report.

The post-mortem examination confirmed that the victim died due to a gunshot wound to the head, with the bullet lodged in her right temple.

After hearing arguments from both sides and examining the evidence on record, the court found Sukhvir Singh guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 3/25 of the Arms Act related to possession of illegal weapons.

The court subsequently sentenced him to rigorous life imprisonment. It also ordered that the period already spent by the convict in jail during the investigation and trial would be adjusted against the total duration of his sentence.

–IANS

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