Mumbai: Kanpur man gets life term for killing 60-year-old Mira Road woman in ’18

Rita Roni Rodrigues, the deceased (L) and Sanjay Rameshchandra Verma, the killer (R)

A Kanpur man in his late thirties has been awarded a life term for brutally murdering a senior citizen who had reportedly refused to give him her car to ferry his ailing wife to the hospital and insulted him, saying, "Tera aukat nahi hai gaadi mein baithne ka".

The killer, Sanjay Rameshchandra Verma, who is in his later thirties, stabbed Rita Roni Rodrigues, 60, in the neck, stomach and chest at her Mira Road flat in November 2018. To mislead the investigation, he also took jewellery and cash to portray the crime as a robbery.

After the case was registered at the Mira Road police station on November 6, 2018, the then-senior inspector Vasant Labde started to conduct a thorough investigation and local Crime Branch officer Pramod Badakh arrested the accused from his native place in Uttar Pradesh.

Labde was quick to submit the charge sheet before the Thane district and sessions court on February 5, 2019, and the charges against Verma were framed on July 16, 2019.

"The killer would stay with his brother in Mira Road. But nearly seven months before the incident, he had gone back to his hometown along with his wife. He returned to Mira Road in November 2018, purchased a knife and gloves from a nearby market with the clear intention to kill Rodrigues, who had reportedly insulted him," said a police officer.

Meanwhile, Labde told mid-day that Verma has been convicted based on the circumstantial pieces of evidence that went against him.

"Intent on taking revenge, Verma entered the flat where Rodrigues lived by herself on the pretext of giving her a Diwali gift and sweets. But her maid arrived at the time, so he postponed the plan and he returned after giving the gift," Labde said.

"After a while, when the maid stepped out of the flat, Verma returned and this time he stabbed her multiple times all over her body. After killing her, Verma also took her valuables and cash from her purse," he added.

The cops learnt about the murder a day later and registered a case. After scanning the CCTV footage, the cops arrested Verma from Kanpur.

"Immediately after the killing, Verma was seen sweating profusely by a cycle mechanic, but no one suspected him of doing anything sinister. He was captured by CCTV cameras going inside and coming out of Rodrigues's building on the day she was killed. We recovered sweets from her refrigerator, which proves that Verma was present at the crime scene," he added.

On June 2, 2024, the Thane district and sessions court judge S B Agrawal, convinced by the circumstantial evidence against Verma, awarded him a life sentence.

"The accused is hereby convicted under Section 235(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for the offence punishable under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and is sentenced to suffer imprisonment for life and also to pay a fine of R5,00,000. In default of fine amount, he shall undergo imprisonment for one year," reads the judgment.

"The accused is also convicted under Section 235(2) of the CrPC the offence punishable under Section 397 r/w. 394 of the IPC and is sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for ten years and also to pay a fine of Rs 50,000. In default of fine amount, he shall undergo imprisonment for six months," it further reads.