Justice Served: Life Sentence for Teen's Murder

A court in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district has handed down a life sentence to Gulab, a resident of Mathauli Bazaar, for the brutal murder of a teenager in 2005. The Additional District and Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court-I), Parmeshwar Prasad, delivered the verdict on Tuesday, holding Gulab accountable for slitting the throat of Aniruddh Gupta, a Class 11 student.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 34,000; should Gulab fail to pay, he will serve an additional two years of simple imprisonment, according to Assistant District Government Counsel (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Singh. The crime dates back to April 3, 2005, when the body of the victim was discovered in a wheat field in the village. The investigation revealed deceit involving a promise of a job in the Army.

The victim's father, Vinay Shankar Gupta, had initially lodged a complaint at Kaptanganj police station after identifying his son from the unidentified body's description. Aniruddh had been lured with false promises of Army recruitment, resulting in a tragic turn of events. While Gulab has been sentenced, a minor co-accused remains on trial before the Juvenile Justice Board.