7 men who killed a 23-year-old man in 2020 and cut his body into pieces face the death penalty | Latest India News

KOLKATA: A court in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on Thursday sentenced seven people to death in connection with a 2020 murder case in which a 23-year-old man was abducted, strangled and his body cut into six pieces.

“The killers did not stop even after cutting his body into pieces. They laughed, patted the severed head and put a price tag on it. Body parts were thrown into ponds and along Delhi Road. This was one of the rarest cases. The murder sent a wave of shock through society,” said special prosecutor Bibhas Chattopadhyay after the court announced the verdict.

Police said the victim, Bishnu Mal, was kidnapped near his residence by Bishal Das, who was involved in many criminal cases, and his associates. Das was angry with him because he was in a relationship with a woman who rejected his proposals and was the organizer of the murder. Pieces of Bishnu Mala’s body were dumped at various places.

One of the nine defendants arrested in the case became an approver and testified against his associates.

Chattopadhyay said the court sentenced Das and six others to death and the eighth accused, tied with a rope to dispose of the body, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Bishal Das, the main accused who tattooed the woman’s name on his arm, fled after the gruesome murder but was later arrested in connection with the shooting in South 24 Parganas, over 120 km away.

The prosecutor said he presented 34 witnesses against the accused.

Lawyer Bishal Das said they would appeal against the verdict.