[1]LUCKNOW: In Uttar Pradesh, a local court in Chitrakoot district awarded death sentence to nine accused while life term to two others at Bagaihapurwa massacre case in Bharatkoop which rocked the state in 2003. All the convicts were sent to jail from court on Friday.
In the incident notorious dacoit Ambika Patel alias Thokia, then carrying a reward of Rs. 5 lakh on his head, along with his gang laid a siege on Bagaihapurwa village on July 17, 2003 and torched several houses in the village in which seven persons were burnt alive.
According to reports, on July 18, 2003 one Raju Patel of same village lodged named FIR against dacoit Thokia and other 18 known and 25 unknown persons.
Accused five dacoits- Thokia, Shankar Kewat, Chunni, Raagia Patel and Gudda have since died in police encounters and in other incidents whereas the case continued on remaining 13 accused. The people of Chitrakoot especially the kin of the massacred persons felt jubilant when the sentence was pronounced on Friday as their belief in the judicial system also got reaffirmed.
The court of Additional District Judge Punendra Kumar Pandey convicted eleven of the accused awarding death sentence to nine and life term to two while two others were let off due to insufficient evidence against them.
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