Mangaluru, Apr 23: Nearly five years after the brutal murder of Sandeep Shetty, a rowdy-sheeter and former aide of underworld don Bannanje Raja, a local court has sentenced three accused to life imprisonment after finding them guilty.

The convicts are Keshava alias Choni (26), resident of Someshwar, Preethesh (25) and Avinash (31) both residents of Bajilakeri. They were charged under sections 144, 147, 148, 447, 448, 120(b) and 302 read with 149 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The trio allegedly had killed Sandeep as there were some issues with land dealings.
On the fateful day, Sandeep, his wife, two-year-old child and father-in-law Hemachandra had gone to a relative's house near Bajal to attend a family gathering. While his wife and child stayed back at relative's house, Sandeep and Hemachandra returned to their house in Someshwar. After reaching home, Sandeep received a call around 10pm and as there was a network issue, he stepped out of the house.
About eight unidentified persons, who were waiting outside his house, attacked him with lethal weapons. Hemachandra who witnessed this entire episode rushed to nearby railway station and called the jurisdictional Ullal Police Station. Sandeep was later admitted to a private hospital, where he succumbed to injuries after few hours.
Special Public Prosecutors J V Nayak, Shivaprasad Alva and Narayan Sherigar U examined as many as 39 witnesses including Sandeep's father- in-law and proved that trio had committed the crime. The Judge H S Pushpanajali Devi pronounced the judgement.
Apart from rigorous imprisonment under IPC 302 and fine of Rs 10,000, the trio have also been convicted under other IPC sections. The pronouncements are: under IPC 143 (six months imprisonment and Rs 500 fine), IPC 147 (two years imprisonment and Rs 1,500 fine), IPC 148 (three year imprisonment and Rs 2,000 fine), IPC 447 (three months imprisonment and Rs 500 fine), IPC 448 (One year imprisonment and Rs 1,000 fine). All these sentences will run concurrently. If they fail to pay the fine, they will have to serve additional imprisonment term. The fine so collected will be given to Sandeep's family.


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