Woman, two others sentenced to death for triple murder

The Times of India

December 14, 2013

INDORE: Two and half year after the sensational triple murder in a posh Indore locality, three accused, including a woman were awarded death sentence by the district court. Three generations of the Deshpande family - all women - were wiped out by the killers on June 19, 2011.

It was the first time a woman was given capital punishment by the Indore district court and another precedent was set by the single court by awarding death to three people in the same case.

Judge D N Mishra on Friday held Neha Verma, 23, Rahul Choudhary, 24, and Manoj Atodh, 32 guilty of murdering three members of the Deshpande family - Ashlesha Deshpande (21), her mother Megha (42) and grandmother Rohini Phadke (70). The trio was convicted for murder, dacoity and trespass.

Neha Verma, a beautician, had plotted the robbery and entered the Deshpande residence by befriending the mother, Megha, after requesting her for a job. Megha fell into the trap and allowed Neha entry while discussing household issues.

Later, Neha took two of her accomplices Rahul and Manoj into the Deshpande home and ruthlessly killed the women after opening fire. They decamped with a booty of Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, ornaments worth Rs 5 lakh and two ATM cards.

Talking to TOI over phone from Pune, Niranjay, husband of late Megha Deshpande expressed satisfaction over the court's order. "I had full confidence in the judiciary and police did a great job," said Deshpande.

The court in its order observed that convicts do not deserve mercy as they have committed a gruesome crime in which they not only fired bullets, but also stabbed the women multiple times.

Referring to the Supreme Court judgment in case of Machhi Singh versus state of Punjab, the court observed that the case come under a rarest of rare case in which three helpless women of three generations were murdered for quick money.

Within a few days of the incident, all three accused were arrested and a pistol, two knives booty and two ATM cards were seized. Police got an early lead after they learnt that Rahul, who accidentally fired at his foot while committing the crime, got himself admitted to a local hospital.

Triple murder: Woman, two others get death sentence

Accused had robbed women victims before killing them in Sri Nagar locality on June 19, 2011

Dnasyndication.com

December 14, 2013


Three persons including a woman were sentenced to death in the infamous Sri Nagar triple murder case, here on Friday.

This is for the first time in Indore that a woman has been awarded death sentence by district court and three accused have been awarded death sentence in a single court.

On June 19, 2011, 22-year-old Ashlesha Deshpande, her mother Megha and grandmother Rohini Phadke, residents of Sri Nagar colony were murdered by armed assailants who had entered their house for robbery.

Describing the crime as 'rarest of the rare,' additional district and session judge, while awarding the sentence said that three innocent women of three generations carrying out their family responsibilities without any dispute were killed by the accused for instant monetary gains. The court observed that apart from shooting with a gun, the accused also stabbed the victims with knives. The helpless state of victims and circumstances of the case has made the court award death sentence to all three accused ---Manoj Atod, Govinda alias Rahul and Neha Verma, said judge DN Mishra in his decision. The court also said that it was convinced by 96 circumstantial evidences presented by the prosecution to establish charges against the accused.

Describing the sequence of events that led to the crime, public prosecutor Ravindra Singh Gaud said that Neha, a beautician by profession, had spotted Megha wearing expensive ornaments in a mall two days before the killings. “She befriended Megha on the pretext of being a marketing executive of some company and obtained her phone number. She then hatched a plot to rob Deshpande household with her lover Rahul and accomplice Manoj,” Gaud said.

“The police got a lead after they found Neha trying to use ATM card robbed from Deshpande’s house in MIG area. On information given by Neha, police arrested Rahul alias Govinda and Manoj. The police also recovered the booty along with stolen ATM cards, a pistol and two knives from the accused,” Gaud added.

Rahul, who had accidentally sustained bullet injury on his left foot in scuffle with Megha during the robbery, had ironically lodged an complaint at Annapurna police station claiming that some unidentified people had shot at him.

Father of Ashlesha, Nirajnay Deshpande, who works with Bank of India in Pune and lives with his father there expressed satisfaction over the court verdict and thanked the prosecution and police department for getting justice for his family.

Srinagar triple murder case Death for mastermind girl, two others

FreePressJournal.in

December 14, 2013

FIRST TIME in the history of Indore District Court awoman was awarded capital punishment

Neha Verma, Rahul Choudhary &Manoj Atodh entered the Deshpande ’sresidence with the purpose of robbery and killed the three

Indore: Nearly two- and- half- year after the sensational triple murder took place in a posh colony here wherein three female members of a family were killed in cold blood, a Special Court on Friday awarded capital punishment to all the three accused in the case, including a girl.

This is for the first time in the history of Indore District Court that a woman was awarded death punishment. It’s also for the first time that a single court in Indore awarded maximum punishment to three persons in the same case.

“Neha Verma (23), Rahul Choudhary (24) and Manoj Atodh (32) were held guilty under Section 302, 397 and 449 of the IPC. Besides, Manoj was also held guilty under Section 25 of the Arms Act,” Public Prosecutor Ravindra Gaur said.

The trio murdered Ashlesha Deshpande (21), her mother Megha (42) and grand- mother Rohini Phadke (70) in a gruesome attack in Srinagar on June 19, 2011.After a few days of incident, all the three accused were arrested and a pistol and two knives, the booty and two ATM cards were recovered from their possession.

The Public Prosecutor said that mastermind of the murder was Neha Verma, who along with her boyfriend, Rahul and Manoj hatched the plan of loot and murder. Neha, a salesgirl for beauty products, had met Megha Deshpande (42) in Orbit two days before the killings. The accused noticed that Megha was wearing expensive jewellery and befriended her on the pretext of being a company agent.

She took Megha’s phone number and address and later that night hatched a plot to rob the Deshpande household with Rahul and Manoj. On June 19, 2011 Neha along with two of her accomplices went to the residence of the Deshpande at Srinagar Colony and murdered all the three inmates of the house.

Her accomplices shot at and stabbed inmates of the house before decamping with cash and valuables worth Rs 1.5 lakh. The police got a lead after they learnt that Rahul, who accidentally fired at his foot while committing the crime, got himself admitted to a local hospital. Special Court judge DN Mishra handed down the death sentence.

58- page chargeesheet, 36 witnesses

Police had presented 58- page chargesheet in the court wherein the motive of murder was cited greed for money. The chargesheet stated that the trio accused wanted to make quick bucks and chose the way of crime. Neha wanted to settle down with her boyfriend Rahul. She was fascinated to luxurious life style and to fulfill her dream she had identified Megha as a target at Orbit Mall when she was wearing a heavy gold ornaments. The accused had executed the crime after consuming a cocktail of sedative drugs, whisky and beer. As many as 36 witnesses were presented before the court in the case.

The judge

Terming the crime as ” rarest of the rare”, the judge in his 44- page judgment said: ” For the greed of some rupees, three hapless women of a family were killed in a very cruel manner…. the culprits deserve no mercy.” The judge noted that the victims were shot, and stab wounds covered their entire bodies.