Principal District and Sessions Judge Bala Bhasker Rao convicted Kishan alias Rahul and his sister Prafulla alias Pappi for the murder, while their mother Gangabai was sentenced to life.
Hyderabad:A Medchal court on Monday sentenced a son and daughter to death and their mother to life imprisonment for murdering their father, retired railway employee Maruthi Suthar, in 2019 to gain access to his pension benefits.
Principal District and Sessions Judge Bala Bhasker Rao convicted Kishan alias Rahul and his sister Prafulla alias Pappi for the murder, while their mother Gangabai was sentenced to life. The trio were found guilty of murder, conspiracy and destruction of evidence. The court described the crime as “socially abhorrent” and “extremely brutal, grotesque, diabolical and dastardly,” noting it was committed for financial gain.
The murder took place at RTC Colony, Moula Ali, in August 2019. Neighbours alerted police after a foul smell emanated from the house. Human remains packed in six plastic buckets were discovered near the kitchen. Investigators established that Kishan had procured poison days earlier, claiming it was for his father’s leg pain. Forensic reports confirmed toxic alkaloid compounds in the viscera, and doctors concluded death was due to poisoning‑related asphyxia.
DNA profiling matched the remains to Suthar, while digital evidence from Kishan’s phone revealed searches on poisoning methods. Recovery of buckets, weapons and other exhibits, along with testimony from 23 witnesses, formed a chain of circumstantial evidence.
The court accepted the prosecution’s argument that the family, dependent on Suthar’s pension, viewed him as an obstacle and conspired to eliminate him. Additional public prosecutor G. V. Ramakrishna Rao, who represented the state, secured his third death conviction in three months.
