An Ahmedabad rural sessions court has sentenced two men to life imprisonment for the murder of a woman, relying on CCTV footage and DNA evidence that linked one of the accused to the crime scene. Additional sessions judge K S Trivedi convicted Ramshankar Maurya and Sunil Gautam in the case related to the killing of a woman in Bhavda village on February 17, 2022.
Details of the Crime
According to the prosecution, the two men followed the woman to her office, where they sexually assaulted her and strangled her when she resisted. No direct eyewitness was present at the scene. An FIR was registered at Kanbha police station, and both accused were later arrested and tried.
Key Evidence Presented
During the trial, the prosecution examined 21 witnesses. CCTV footage showing the accused following the woman near her office formed a key part of the evidence. Hair recovered from the crime scene was also sent for DNA analysis, which matched Maurya's blood sample. The court stated that the DNA evidence established Maurya's presence at the scene of the offence.
The court also relied on witness testimony identifying the accused and on the CCTV footage presented during the trial. In the judgment, additional sessions judge K S Trivedi said, "The DNA analysis of hair recovered from the scene of offence reveals that the DNA matched Maurya's blood samples consistently. It establishes his presence at the scene of the offence. Besides, considering the deposition of prosecution witness No. 50 and the CCTV footage presented, the witness identified the accused. The accused could not rebut the prosecution's evidence that he was present at the scene of the offence."
Court's Observations
The court noted that the defence failed to explain how Maurya's hair was found at the crime scene and did not rebut the prosecution's evidence regarding his presence there. The court held that the evidence established the involvement of both accused in the crime. Consequently, both men were sentenced to life imprisonment.
