Tura boy’s murderers get death sentence commuted to life imprisonment
TURA: Three youth from Tura who were earlier awarded death sentence by a district sessions court for the abduction and murder of a nine-year-old boy for ransom from Tura Bazaar has escaped the gallows and had their sentences commuted to imprisonment by the Fast Track Court in Tura on Thursday.
The prime accused, Suraj Gupta, who masterminded the kidnap and murder plan along with his accomplice Sovraj Sonar who strangled the little boy were both sentenced to life imprisonment for the remainder of their natural life for the offence of murder and kidnapping for ransom.
Both were sentenced to also undergo Rigorous Imprisonment for causing disappearance of evidence with Suraj Gupta getting seven years of RI.
The driver of the vehicle which was used in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the child escaped both the gallows and life imprisonment. Driver Ajay Das received a lighter sentence of fourteen years Rigorous Imprisonment. He will also have to undergo a further seven years RI for causing disappearance of evidence.
The kidnap and murder of nine-year-old Vaivabh Singh from the heart of Tura Bazaar’s Fancy Valley locality on a Sunday evening in the middle of 2006 sent shock waves throughout the region.
The three accused, who were all in their early twenties, kidnapped the only son of a rice trader by luring him with an ice-cream while he was playing outside his home. Since the child knew all the three kidnappers with prime accused Suraj Gupta residing nearby he easily fell into the trap.
Both Suraj and Sovraj forced the child into a waiting Indica car with Ajay Das behind the wheel. They drove out of Tura town towards the Williamnagar road. On the way they robbed the child of his gold ornaments he was wearing and strangulated him.
On reaching a deserted road, the three kidnappers put the child’s body in a gunny bag and dumped it in a gorge at Sosatchegre near Chinabat. Thereafter, they headed towards Guwahati, where they sold the gold ornaments robbed from the child.
On reaching Guwahati, the three accused called up the child’s residence and demanded Rs 50 lakh as ransom for his release, claiming that the boy was safe.
Five days later, police arrested Ajay and Sovraj.
During interrogation, the duo revealed that they had killed the child and later led the police to the spot where they had dumped the body. The third accused Suraj Gupta was arrested later.
