The Coimbatore District Mahila Court on Tuesday awarded double death and as many life sentences to daily wager A. Senthil, 32, after he was found guilty of murdering M. Vatsala Devi (27), and her two sons, six-year-old Mahilan and 11-month-old Praneeth, on June 1, 2014.
Judge M.P. Subramanian said the fact that Senthil stabbed Mahilan 21 times and Praneeth 12 times made it a rarest of rare case and a fit one for award of the death sentences.
He awarded life sentence to Senthil for stabbing Devi and one more for trespassing into Devi’s house in Saravanampatty. The seven-year term was for making away with Devi’s jewellery.
According to Public Prosecutor R. Sarojini, Senthil went to Devi’s house on the morning of June 1, 2014, asking for the balance of advance payment towards house rent. Devi was supposed to pay Rs. 5,300 to Senthil. Devi told him that she would pay him in the next two days as a family member had promised to move in as tenant.
Senthil returned in the evening and made sexual advances towards Devi.
When she resisted, he stabbed her with a kitchen knife. As her children screamed, he stabbed the 11-year-old boy and the infant, which was in the cradle. To cover up the crime and make it appear as a case of murder for gain, he had removed Devi’s mangalsutra . Devi’s husband K. Maruthamanickam was out on work when the incident happened.
Saravanampatty police registered a case and invoked Sections 449 (house trespass), three counts of 302 (murder) and 404 (dishonest misappropriation of property of deceased) of the Indian Penal Code.
Senthil’s wife Leelavathi lived with her parents following a marital discord. The judge lauded the prosecution counsel and the Investigating Officer T. Jothi of Saravanampatty Police station for the meticulous investigation in the case.
“Rarest of rare case as accused stabbed children several times”
