By IANS,
Kolkata : A West Bengal court Saturday sentenced three people to life imprisonment for kidnapping and murdering an 18-year-old youth in 2004. The three were also fined Rs.10,000 each.
Arijit Pal, Jyotirmoy Mukherjee and Manjusha Mukherjee were jailed for life by the Howrah district court for the abduction and murder of Kuntal Sai, a resident of Jagacha town in Howrah district, in July 2004.
“Arijit was given two life terms – one for criminal conspiracy under section 120B of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and another for murder under Section 302. Jyotirmoy and Manjusha were charged under Section 120B,” said Special Public Prosecutor Chinmoy Chowdhury.
Kuntal’s father Abhijit said he was not satisfied with the court’s verdict.
“They chopped my son 48 times with an axe. Life imprisonment is not enough punishment for them. The court should have sentenced these demons to death,” Abhijit said.
On July 4, 2004, Kuntal’s friend Sampat Mukherjee had asked him bring some notes for a forthcoming examinations.
On reaching Sampat’s house, Kuntal was tied with a rope and locked inside a room by their common friend Arijit, and Sampat’s brother Jyotirmoy and mother Manjusha.
In the evening, Arijit called up Kuntal’s father Abhijit, a wealthy businessman, and demanded Rs.2.5 million as ransom.
But fearing that Abhijit had recognised Arijit’s voice and they would be arrested if Kuntal was released, the kidnappers killed the youth, chopped up his body and threw the pieces in bushes near Pankuria Bridge.
The three were soon arrested and lodged at the Presidency Jail here. Sampat died in jail in November 2004.