Court Sentences Trio to Life Imprisonment for Rs 2 Crore Ransom Kidnapping

Three men, Gaurav Chauhan, Ankur Singh, and Sahi Ram, were sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping a businessman's son 15 years ago and demanding a Rs 2 crore ransom. The court, noting the heinous nature of the crime, overrode the poverty of the convicts as a mitigating factor.

A court in [Location] has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for extorting a Rs 2 crore ransom 15 years ago for the release of a businessman's son. Additional Sessions Judge Virender Kumar Kharta, who presided over the case, declared the offence 'heinous' and acknowledged the trauma experienced by the victim's family.

The court dismissed the poverty of the convicts as a mitigating factor, emphasizing that the aggravating circumstances of the crime far outweighed any mitigating ones. The perpetrators, Gaurav Chauhan, Ankur Singh, and Sahi Ram, were previously convicted of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping for ransom, and criminal intimidation.

The Additional Public Prosecutor sought maximum punishment, citing the kidnapping of Nikunj Mittal on July 27, 2009, and the subsequent Rs 2 crore ransom demand. The court decided on life imprisonment for the convicts and multiple concurrent sentences for their crimes. It also referred the issue of compensation for the victim to the Delhi State Legal Services Authority.

(With inputs from agencies.)