HC upholds death for three in 2011 triple murder case

INDORE: Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh high court on Monday upheld the death penalty to three people, including a woman in a sensational triple murder case in which three generations of Deshpande family — all women — were wiped out by killers on June 19, 2011. It was the first such case in the region in which a woman was given capital punishment by the court.In December 2013, district court had awarded capital punishment to Neha Verma, 23, Rahul Choudhary, 24, and Manoj Atodh, 32, after finding them guilty of murdering three members of Deshpande family – Ashlesha, 21, her mother Megha, 42, and grandmother Rohini Phadke, 70. The trio was convicted for murder, dacoity and trespass.Advocate Raghvendra Singh Bais said as per the rule, death sentence awarded by lower court comes to high court for approval. Neha, a beautician, masterminded the crime by befriending Megha, by asking her for a job. Megha fell into the trap and allowed Neha’s entry into the house.Later, Neha took two of her accomplices Rahul and Manoj to Deshpande residence, killed the women and decamped with Rs 1.5 lakh cash, ornaments worth Rs 5 lakh and two ATM cards.The court, in its order, observed that convicts do not deserve any mercy as they have committed a gruesome crime in which they not only fired bullets, but also stabbed the women multiple times.Within a few days of the murder, the trio was arrested and a pistol, two knives, cash and ATM cards seized. Police got an early lead after they learnt that Rahul, who accidentally fired at his foot while committing the crime, got himself admitted to a local hospital.