New Delhi, February 12
Pradeep Sharma, alleged killer of journalist Shivani Bhatnagar, debunked the theory that he had committed the crime on the assurance that prime accused R K Sharma, an IPS officer, would bail him out in another criminal case. “That case is still pending. Had the crime been a motivated killing, R K Sharma could have used his influence to help him in that case,” said DB Goswami, the defence counsel. A former clerk with HUDA in Panchkula, Pradeep lost his job after involvement in a cheating case. Goswami added that contrary to the prosecution’s contention that co-accused Satya Prakash, on behalf of R K Sharma, had assured his client of a reinstatement in HUDA, Pradeep had resigned voluntarily from his post.
Lifer for boy’s murderer
A man who slit a minor boy’s throat after kidnapping him was sentenced to life imprisonment by a city court on Tuesday. Additional Sessions Judge Babu Lal held Riaz guilty of kidnapping and murdering six-year-old Abdul Qadir. He also slapped a fine of
Rs 20,000 on him. “Riaz committed a heinous act by killing an innocent ,” the judge said. According to the prosecution, on the pretext of taking Abdul to his relative’s house, Riaz took the boy to Sriniwaspuri and slit his throat with a shaving blade on December 25, 2005. After his arrest on December 27 in Wazirabad, Riaz confessed to his crime.
