The case dates back to August 11, 2014, when accused Ajay Gandhili (34) and Sanjay Gandhili (30) started abusing Surendra Rai, a watchman at Oshiwara's Ashish Garage. The two were in an inebriated condition.
The sessions court on Tuesday convicted two brothers for killing a Jain monk in 2014, and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The duo was also levied a fine of Rs5,000 each.
The case dates back to August 11, 2014, when accused Ajay Gandhili (34) and Sanjay Gandhili (30) started abusing Surendra Rai, a watchman at Oshiwara's Ashish Garage. The two were in an inebriated condition.
Witnessing the incident, footpath dweller Shanti Kamble (name changed to protect her identity) intervened. Instead of stopping, Ajay forced Kamble into a vacant auto rickshaw and started molesting her. Somehow, she rescued herself from his clutches.
The accused then moved a bit ahead and came across a man sleeping on the footpath. They asked a cigarette from him. When turned down, they assaulted the man with a wooden block and a paver block. The man was immediately taken to the Cooper hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.
Public prosecutor Mangesh Arote said, "During the investigation, we found out that the name of the deceased was Himmat Kanojia and he was a Jain monk. Kanojia actually belonged to a well-off family based in Canada. He had separated from them after a tiff and was living on the footpath."
Meanwhile, Kamble also lodged a case of sexual assault against Ajay, in which the metropolitan magistrate court held him guilty and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment.
The police examined 12 witnesses in all, including Ramesh Kanojia, brother of the deceased. They also recorded statements of two eyewitnesses before the magistrate.
Amboli resident Ramesh said, "My brother had run away from home as he was unsuccessful. We searched for him constantly but couldn't find him. Finally on August 12, 2011, we received a call from the police, who informed us about his death."
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