A Delhi court has sentenced four persons to life for committing dacoity in the house of a septuagenarian couple and unintentionally killing one of them, observing that the case was a glaring example of "increasing crime against senior citizens".
Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau held Kali Charan (48), Sarvesh Kumar (33), Chander Bhan (30) and Amit (30) guilty of dacoity with an intent to cause hurt or death of a person, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and criminal conspiracy, by relying on CCTV footage and statement of a judicial officer, D P Sharma, an eye witness to the incident.
The court also awarded four years' jail to Bimlesh, a maid in the house of 75-year-old K L Manchanda, who died during the incident due to heart attack, and 70-year-old Kamla Devi who was a paralytic.
It awarded lesser punishment to Bimlesh (30), noting that she was a mother of two kids and had not actively participated in the actual crime and was held guilty only for hatching a criminal conspiracy to commit the dacoity.
"The victims were soft/vulnerable targets since K L Manchanda was aged about 75 years and his wife Kamla Devi was paralytic waist down and was totally dependent upon an attendant. The manner in which the offence has been committed in broad daylight shows that the convicts have no respect for law and legal process of this country and they have an impression that perhaps the legal system of this country is incompetent to hold them back for their illegal activities," the judge said.
The court said this case was a glaring example of "increasing crime against senior citizens" who were staying alone and becoming vulnerable targets.
Manchanda and his wife were staying in a rented house in Gujrawalan Town here while their sons and their families were staying in a nearby place. Kamla Devi was unable to move and was totally dependent upon an attendant whereas Manchanda was suffering from multiple ailments.
According to the prosecution, Charan was a fruit seller in the area and had easily won the confidence of the couple over the years.
He introduced Bimlesh to the couple and was employed in the house a few days before the incident.
