New Delhi:
The session court on Wednesday pronounced life imprisonment for all the six convicts in the matka-king Suresh Bhagat murder case.
The convicts also include Bhagat's wife and son.
The Sessions court here on Friday convicted six persons for the murder.
Special public prosecutor Kalpana Chavan while arguing on the point of sentence today said the case falls in "rarest of the rare" category.
"Six persons including Bhagat (who were travelling with them), who did not have anything to do (with the conspirators and their motive) also died because of the accused. They (victims) were sole breadwinners for their families," Chavan said, terming it a cold-blooded murder.
According to prosecution, Bhagat's wife Jaya and son Hitesh wanted to take over his property and his multi-crore gambling (matka) business, so they plotted the crime.
Bhagat, along with five others, was killed on Alibaug-Pen road near Mumbai on June 13, 2008 when a truck collided with his jeep. Later, police found out that it was an orchestrated accident, planned by his wife and others.
The Mumbai Crime Branch arrested Suhas Roge, Harish Mandvekar, Kiran Amle, Shaikh Azimuddin, Pravin Shetty, Jaya Bhagat, Hitesh Bhagat and Kiran Pujari.
Pujari and Azimuddin were granted pardon after they turned approvers.
Jaya told the court today that she was innocent. "I have not committed any crime. In fact, I lost my husband while I and my son have been booked in the case," she said, adding that she had her 80-year-old mother to take care of.
While Hitesh, also pleading innocence, said he was the one who went to the police to claim his father's body. He also said he was abroad at the time of incident.
