Crime and Criminals

6 get life in matka king Bhagat’s murder

Additional sessions Judge S G Shete on Wednesday sentenced slain matka king Suresh Bhagat’s former wife Jaya Chedda, son Hitesh and four others to life imprisonment. Bhagat and six others had died in an orchestrated road accident in 2008.
    Chedda, Hitesh Bhagat, Chedda’s alleged paramour Suhas Roge, Pravin Shetty alias Pappu, Harish Mandvikar alias Ganiga and Kiran Amle were convicted under
Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 20,000 each. They were also sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 20,000 each under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy). Both sentences are to run concurrently.
    The court had observed that Suresh Bhagat’s 2008 complaint and writ petition to authorities fearing for his life are evidence in his death, and can be treated as a dying declaration. “The chain of circumstances clearly establishes the guilt of the accused. Thus, the prosecution has proved that the accused hatched the conspiracy and committed the murder,” the court said in a 229-page judgement copy.
    After the verdict, a relieved Hitesh said, “I will definitely file an appeal in the Bombay high court and I am sure I will get justice there. When I got to know that my father was dead, I rushed back to India from Bangkok. This itself shows that I had no idea about all this.”
    The court found substance in the medical evidence that the victims had sustained skull fractures and had died on the spot.
    “The absence of skid marks clearly shows that there was no attempt by the truck driver to apply the brakes, which would have been the case had it been a mere accident. These circumstances clearly show that it was not a mere head-on collision but a deliberate and intentional dash given by the truck to the Scorpio,” the judge observed. The court said that call data records and the cell identification report of the accused showed they were in touch with each other, other witnesses and approvers on the day of the murder.
    The court also relied on the proved testimony of a witness who was with Roge on the day of the murder. The witness said that Roge was watching TV and had remarked on Bhagat’s death saying, “Amhi amchya dushmanala khalas kele (We have killed our enemy).” A witness also testified that Roge had asked him to burn black magic dolls a day before the killing.
    Outside the court, Bhagat’s brother Vinod Bhagat and niece Tanuja were overjoyed. “I will write to the home minister on how the local police had botched up the investigation,” Vinod said. Crime branch had got murder tip-off H ad the Mumbai crime branch not received a tip-off in the case, Alibaug police would have treated matka king Suresh Bhagat’s killing as an accident. There were allegations that his son Hitesh Bhagat tried to bribe crime branch officials to scuttle the probe. An official, though, said, “It is not true. The crime branch invoked MCOCA.” TNN THE CRIME On June 13, 2008, matka king Suresh Bhagat (46) and six others, including his lawyer and bodyguards, were killed on Alibaug-Pen Road when a truck rammed into their SUV. Initially, a case of rash driving was registered in the case. Investigations, though, revealed the accident was allegedly orchestrated by his former wife Jaya Chedda (then 45) and son Hitesh for taking over his gambling business
THOSE HELD GUILTY
    Jaya Chedda, Bhagat’s former wife. He divorced Chedda after suspecting her of an illicit relationship with Suhas Roge, an Arun Gawli aide
    Hitesh Bhagat (32), their son. Both father and son were coaccused in a narcotics case and were to appear in Alibaug court the day Bhagat was killed. Hitesh’s advocate, though, had moved an application seeking exemption from being present due to ill-health. Hitesh, though, flew to Bangkok
    Roge promised a supari of 45 lakh to friend Harish Mandvikar. He then approached truck owner Azimuddin Shaikh
    Mandvikar lured Shaikh by saying “he just wanted to break somebody’s hands and legs”. Shaikh was promised 5 lakh. He later turned approver in the case
Pravin Shetty, who drove the killer truck, told the police that Mandvikar paid him 3 lakh to ram into Bhagat’s SUV
The orchestrated accident was Roge’s idea, said the police
Kiran Poojari followed Bhagat to Alibaug and alerted driver Shetty. He, too, turned approver
Kiran Amle was at the meetings and execution of the crime
THE PUNISHMENT
    Sessions Judge S G Shete sentenced Jaya Chedda, Hitesh Bhagat and the other accused Pravin Shetty alias Pappu, Harish Mandvikar alias Ganiga, Suhas Roge and Kiran Amle on Wednesday
    They were convicted under IPC’s Section 302 (murder) and sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 20,000 each. They were also sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 20,000 each under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy). Both sentences are to run concurrently