Rajkot: A sessions court in Jamnagar has sentenced a 30-year-old man, Mayank Sanghani, to rigorous life imprisonment for kidnapping and murdering a 16-year-old boy for a ransom of Rs 2 crore in a case that shocked the city nearly a decade ago. The judgement was delivered on June 17, 2026.
Background of the Case
The victim, Karan, was the son of Kishor Thadeshwar, a brass parts factory owner in Jamnagar. Sanghani lived in the victim’s neighbourhood and was acquainted with the family because his brother and Karan studied at the same school. He was aware of the family’s financial status.
The Crime
According to the prosecution, on Aug 30, 2016, Sanghani lured Karan to an office located in the Raj Corner complex on Ranjitsagar Road. Once there, he strangled the teenager to death using a nylon rope. Police recovered Karan’s body the next day.
After committing the murder, Sanghani stole the victim’s mobile phone and a gold chain worth around Rs 10,000. He then used Karan’s phone to send messages to his father, falsely claiming that the boy had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom of Rs 2 crore. One of the messages read, “Do crore de ja aur le ja” (Give two crores and take him). He also threatened to kill the boy if the family approached the police, even though Karan was already murdered.
Evidence Presented
The prosecution established its case primarily through circumstantial evidence, including the “last seen together” theory. CCTV footage from a local paan shop and a petrol pump showed Sanghani and Karan riding together on a scooter shortly before the crime.
A key witness - Karan’s friend Harsh - testified that he accompanied Karan to the meeting location. He told the court that Karan entered the building with Sanghani while he waited outside, but Karan never returned.
Medical evidence further strengthened the prosecution’s case. The post-mortem report recorded 23 injuries on the victim’s body and confirmed that death was caused by asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation.
Investigators also recovered the nylon rope used in the murder. The gold chain and stained clothes were recovered from a guest house in Virpur, where Sanghani stayed after fleeing the scene.
Court Proceedings
Special public prosecutor AR Desai said the court convicted Sanghani under Sections 302 (murder), 364A (kidnapping for ransom), and 404 (dishonest misappropriation of property possessed by a deceased person) of the Indian Penal Code after evaluating the testimonies of 30 witnesses and examining 94 documentary exhibits.
While sentencing the accused, the court observed that the case did not fall within the “rarest of rare” category. However, it noted that releasing a person with such a criminal mindset into society could adversely affect social order.
Additional district judge VP Agrawal sentenced Sanghani to rigorous life imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs 1.10 lakh under various IPC provisions. The court also directed that Rs 1 lakh from the collected fine amount be paid to the victim’s father as compensation.
Additional Fraud Allegation
Court records revealed that while in judicial custody in the present case, Sanghani was granted temporary bail but failed to surrender and remained absent from court proceedings. During that period, a separate complaint was registered at Sola Police Station in Ahmedabad alleging that he impersonated a public prosecutor of the Gujarat High Court and fraudulently collected money from litigants.
