Two men get 7-year jail in 38-yr-old kidnapping case

Aurangabad: District and sessions court on Thursday sentenced two persons to seven years of imprisonment in a 38-year-old kidnapping case. Principal district and sessions judge Rajkumar pronounced the sentence in the case number 13/87 of Haspura police station.
Public prosecutor Pushkar Agrawal said the accused, Ajay Singh and Vijay Singh, residents of Jaitpur village under Haspura police station, were convicted under IPC Section 364/34 for kidnapping a five-year-old boy. The court also slapped a fine of ₹25,000 on each. In case of non-payment of the fine, they would have to undergo an additional year of imprisonment, he said.
According to Agrawal, the prosecution presented eight witnesses, including four eyewitnesses. The case was filed by one Rajkumar Singh on Feb 16, 1987, following the abduction of a five-year-old boy. The chargesheet was submitted to the court on April 26, 1987, and charges were framed against the accused on August 10, 1989.
Defence counsel, Satish Kumar Snehi, argued for leniency, citing the accused's old age of 65 and 70 years, respectively, as well as their prolonged incarceration during the trial. However, the prosecution emphasized the gravity of kidnapping a minor and sought the maximum possible sentence to both.
After hearing both sides, the court delivered its judgment, bringing closure to the old case that had remained pending for nearly four decades.