Siliguri, April 8 -- A woman was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of her husband under section 302 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), while her lover was acquitted due to lack of evidence. The verdict was announced by Mainak Dasgupta, the Additional District and Session Judge Fast-Track Court of Siliguri Court on Tuesday.
The convict, Manju Mondal, a resident of the Bidhannagar area, was found guilty of murdering her husband, Subodh Mondal, who was a resident of Paikpara in Phansidewa on August 18, 2023.
The case had initially appeared to be a suicide, but an autopsy later revealed that Subodh had been strangled to death. A case of unnatural death was first registered at the Phansidewa police station on August 19.
Investigations uncovered that Manju was involved in an extramarital affair with Mohammad Nafrul. When Subodh confronted her upon discovering the affair, Manju reportedly planned and executed his murder with the help of Nafrul. Both Manju and Nafrul were arrested and on October 15, 2023 police filed a chargesheet in the case. Over the course of the trial, testimonies from 15 witnesses helped establish Manju's role in the murder.
However, in a surprising turn, Mohammad Nafrul was acquitted. The court stated that no direct evidence or sufficient material was found to implicate him in the crime.
Speaking on the verdict, Gautam Saha, the Public Prosecutor (PP) said: "Manju has been sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment. Her lover, Nafrul, has been acquitted due to lack of evidence against him."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.