Lifer to prime accused in Sanket Kulkarni murder case

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The sessions judge D H Keluskar, on Wednesday, pronounced life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 12,000 to the prime accused Sanket Jaybhaye holding him responsible for brutally murdering his college friend Sanket Kulkarni by crushing him under a car for 5-6 times.

Meanwhile, the co-accused in the case Sanket Mache, Vijay Jog and Umar Patel have been acquitted by the court under the benefit of the doubt.

Kulkarni was murdered by crushing under a car in broad daylight (afternoon) on March 23, 2018, at Kamgar Chowk. After committing the crime, Jaybhaye messaged his girlfriend on her mobile phone

stating that following the quarrel between me and Sanket Kulkarni I had finished the issue. Later, he called her thrice on his mobile phone saying that Kulkarni was speaking to you. As a result, I crushed him under the car. Hence the special public prosecutor Adv Ujjwal Nikam, during the final hearing of the case, argued and drew the attention of the court saying that in a way the accused had confessed his crime in front of his girlfriend.

Adv Nikam to prove Jaybhaye’s intention of murder also stressed the statements of the girlfriend and other eyewitnesses in the case. He submitted the call detail record (CDR) of Jaybhaye and his girlfriend in court. Jaybhaye’s girlfriend has informed everything in her statement. Hence it is an important evidence. Besides, the other eyewitnesses in their statements have also told that it was not an accident. Instead, Jaybhaye crushed Kulkarni under his car by running over him 4-5 times.

Adv Nikam representing the state government also submitted the mobile CDR to prove that the accused telephoned the deceased several times and called him at the murder spot.

Adv Nikam was assisted by district government pleader Avinash Deshpande and Adv Siddharth Wagh. Meanwhile, the co-accused Mache, Patel and Jog were represented by Adv Nilesh Ghanekar, Adv Machindra Dalvi and Adv Bhale.