Madurai
The Madurai District Court on Friday sentenced two to life imprisonment for murder. The III Additional District Judge S. Karthikeyan sentenced P. Prema of Madurai and M. Velmurugan of Thoothukudi district for the kidnap and murder of R. Uma Rani of Madurai.
It is alleged that Prema used to borrow money from Uma Rani, a money lender, on a regular basis. In one such instance, Prema borrowed ₹60,000 from Uma Rani but failed to return the amount. On being insisted to repay her debt, Prema hatched a plan with her friend Velmurugan to do away with Uma Rani. The victim was hacked to death by the duo. They also made away with her jewels and fled to Thoothukudi, where they were later secured.
The charges filed against them were under Sections 120 B (Criminal conspiracy), 302 (Murder), 364 (Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 392 (Robbery) of the Indian Penal Code. A cost of ₹23,000 was imposed on each of them.