Agra woman, lover get life term for killing husband — sons turned key witnesses

Holding the accused guilty of the charges, the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Sanjay K Lal sentenced Kusuma, Sunil, and Sunil’s associate Dharamveer — all in their 30s — to life imprisonment on Thursday (November 6) for their roles in the murder case, said government counsel Pradeep Kumar.

In addition to the life term, a monetary fine was imposed on each of the convicts. The three accused have remained in judicial custody since their arrest.

Counsel Kumar said Devi’s two sons, who were aged 12 and 15 years at the time of the incident, provided crucial testimony before the court.

In their depositions, Kumar said, the minors confirmed that Sunil frequently visited their home in the absence of their father. They said their mother would physically assault them for disclosing Sunil’s visits and that quarrels often occurred between their parents over the issue.

Kumar added that 10 prosecution witnesses, including the two children, and three defence witnesses were examined by the court.

According to the prosecution, the incident dates back to February 13, 2019, when the victim, Ramveer’s maternal uncle, Teekaram, visited his home in Bisrana village to meet him.

When he came again the following day, Kusuma said Ramveer had gone out for some work. As per the prosecution, Teekaram waited for Ramveer to return. But when he failed to show up, Teekaram began searching for him in the nearby areas to no avail.

The uncle went to the local police about his suspicions. As per the prosecution, he claimed that nearly two months ago, Ramveer had confided in him that Kusuma was regularly talking with a few people — including Sunil. When Ramveer confronted her and objected to such conduct, she allegedly threatened him with dire consequences.

The prosecution said when Kusuma was questioned, she admitted to her involvement in the crime. In her statement, she also admitted that Sunil frequently visited their house during Ramveer’s absence.

Ramveer began to suspect an affair was brewing and objected to Sunil’s regular visits, said counsel Kumar, adding that the prosecution alleged that the accused conspired together to kill him.

They attacked Ramveer with a blunt object, killing him on the spot, said the prosecution, adding that they wrapped the body in a mattress and dumped it in a dry well near the house. Dharamveer is stated to have actively assisted Kusuma and Sunil in the commission of the offence, said Kumar.

Following the incident, police recovered the body from the well and registered a case based on Teekaram’s complaint. During the investigation, all three accused were arrested and sent to jail.

Upon completion of trial proceedings, the court found the accused guilty under relevant provisions pertaining to murder, common intention, and causing disappearance of evidence, and convicted them.