KANPUR, Jan. 23 -- Nearly two-and-a-half years after 16-year-old Kushagra Kanodia was abducted for ransom and murdered, a local court on Thursday sentenced three convicts to life imprisonment. Additional district judge (ADJ-11) Subhash Singh also imposed a fine of Rs.1 lakh on each of them. Those sentenced include the victim's former tuition teacher, Rachita Vats, aged around 31, her partner Prabhat Shukla, 32, and their associate Shiva Gupta, 32. The court found them guilty of kidnapping for ransom and murder. However, Kushagra's parents, Manish Kanodia and Sonia, who have since moved to Surat in Gujarat, said the punishment fell short of justice. "Nothing less than the death penalty was acceptable for such a crime," Kushagra's mother said, describing the sentence as 'adhura insaaf' (incomplete justice). Kushagra, a Class X student and a resident of Bhagwati Villa apartments in the Raipurwa area here, was abducted on October 30, 2023, while on his way to coaching classes. The accused later demanded a ransom of Rs.30 lakh from the family, the prosecution said. Investigators told the court that Kushagra was strangled to death on the same night he was abducted. A breakthrough came when the apartment's security guard identified a scooter used by a youth who had come to deliver the ransom letter. Police and family members acted swiftly, but by the time they reached the victim, he had already been killed. Additional district government counsel (ADGC) Bhaskar Mishra said the prosecution examined 14 witnesses during the trial. Call detail records of the accused and CCTV footage from around the crime scene emerged as crucial evidence. "The technical and circumstantial evidence fully corroborated the prosecution's case," Mishra said. The three accused were convicted on January 20. During the sentencing hearing, the prosecution represented by district government counsel Dilip Awasthi, ADGC Bhaskar Mishra and the victim's counsel Kamlesh Pathak described the crime as brutal and sought the death penalty. Defence lawyers sought leniency, citing the absence of prior criminal records, as well as the accused's economic background and family circumstances. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court awarded life imprisonment to all three convicts....