Cigarette butts, audio clip unravel 2020 Habra double murder, three get life term

Police arrived at the crime scene after the Mondals were fatally shot in their home in Habra in North 24 Parganas district on September 16, 2020. After scouring the crime scene, the investigators found cigarette butts which turned out to be crucial evidence, and was sent to the laboratory for a DNA analysis.

The results were a match with the samples collected from the two male accused.

The police said that they also found audio recordings done by Das on his mobile phone, which revealed how the murders were “meticulously planned” by Banti Sandhu and Nibedita Sandhu.

All three were handed life imprisonment by the court.

According to Special Public Prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee, the prosecution had prayed for the death penalty when the quantum of sentence was being pronounced.

“The voices of all the accused were matched by forensic experts with their respective sample voices,” he said. Das, the gun-for-hire, had recorded the conversations as a form of insurance against being double-crossed, the police said.

“Ultimately, the combination of the DNA evidence from the cigarette butts, the incriminating recorded conversations, and the other forensic findings proved decisive. All three accused — Banti Sandhu, Nibedita Sandhu, and Ajay Das — were convicted under sections 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced to life imprisonment… This case highlights the power of both traditional and digital forensic techniques in solving complex criminal cases,” said Chatterjee.

The motive and cover-up bid

Banti and Nibedita Sandhu had piled up around Rs 7 lakh in debt and were allegedly pressuring Ram Krishna and Lila Rani to sell their property and hand over the proceeds and were even threatening them, the police said.

However, the couple refused to give into the tactics.

According to the investigation, Banti Sandhu had hired Das, who was a driver, and paid him `50,000, and “provided detailed instructions, including how to gain access to the Mondals’ residence via the terrace”, the police said. Banti was present when Das fired the shots, killing the couple, the police added.

The husband tried to frame a neighbour by taking advantage of the confusion after the murder, police added.

During investigation, the firearms recovered from Ajay Das matched with the bullet heads found in the victims’ bodies, the police said, adding that the evidence also also pointed to an attempt to poison the victims’ drinking water.