2 weeks Ago
Ludhiana: A local court sentenced a man to 10-year rigorous imprisonment after he kidnapped a four-year-old girl for “sacrifice.” The court of additional sessions judge, Shiv Mohan Garg also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict. In default of payment of fine, he will have to undergo rigorous imprisonment for an additional two months.
On Oct 14, 2022, City Jagraon police booked the accused, Dharminder Sapera of Bhatta in Nawada district of Bihar, under Section 364 of the IPC (Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder). As per the prosecution, Kalu Ram, a labourer from GT Road, Jagraon, said that his four-year-old daughter came back from school on Oct 14, 2022 and went out to play after having lunch. He said that at around 3pm, an unknown person who had been seen roaming around near the shanties for many days, kidnapped her.
Police checked CCTV footage and nominated the accused, Dharminder in the case. During investigation, a man named Pardesi told ASI Gursewak Singh on Oct 17, 2022 that Dharminder had kidnapped a child with the intention of sacrificing her. Dharminder was arrested and during interrogation, he said that his wife had left him and was living with his brother-in-law in Bihar.
In 2022, a tantrik met him in Jagraon and suggested rituals to get his wife back. One of the rituals he “prescribed” was the sacrifice of a child. In March 2022, he kidnapped a child from Ajitwal but left her after police came to know about it.
Thereafter, he kidnapped Laxmi and was on the lookout for a religious place for the sacrifice. However, he was apprehended. Police arrested Dharminder and presented a chargesheet against him in court after investigations.
During trial, he claimed to have been implicated. The defence counsel argued that there was no independent witness. It was also stated that there was enmity between the complainant and the accused.
After appreciating evidence on record, the court said that Pardesi was an independent witness. It was observed that even if no wrongful act had been done to the child, statement of the accused proved that he had kidnapped her to murder her. The court also maintained that enmity between the complainant and accused is not proved, as argued by the defence counsel.
“Had there been any enmity, then the complainant must have got an FIR registered against the accused by name, but at the time of registration of the FIR, he was not sure who had kidnapped his daughter and the FIR is against unknown person,” the court remarked. It observed that the recovery of the child from custody of accused is proved by prosecution witness ASI Gursewak Singh..
