6 sisters-in-law strangle woman to death:Children’s testimony in court leads to life imprisonment for all

In Part 1 of Crime Files, you read how the discovery of a woman’s body inside a house during a funeral feast (terwi ) in Indira Colony of Ashta, Sehore district, sent shockwaves through the area. At the time of the incident, children Sachin and Anjali had been sent to a shop. When they returned, chaos had erupted inside the house, and they soon learnt that it was a murder case. Six sisters who had come to attend the ceremony—Lalta, Sumitra, Sajanbai, Binda, Laxmi and Kanta—came under suspicion. The biggest question before the police was what exactly had happened inside the house. Who had died? What was the motive behind the murder? And what had the children seen that eventually brought all six sisters to the dock? Read on in this part of Crime Files. Arguments erupted during the ceremony A terwi (Hindu death ritual held on the 13th day after a person’s death) ceremony was underway at the house, with relatives coming and going. However, by afternoon, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Shouting and heated arguments could be heard from inside. A short while later, another tragic piece of news emerged from the same house. Sunita, the daughter-in-law of the family, was found unconscious. She was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Neighbors had heard the sound of the quarrel Police first began questioning people present in and around the house. Neighbours told investigators that a fierce argument had taken place inside before the incident. The investigation revealed that the dispute was linked to the ancestral house and family property. Sunita’s husband, Shantilal, had already passed away. She was living in the house with her children and parents-in-law. She was also responsible for looking after the family. Over time, tensions reportedly grew between Sunita and her sisters-in-law over the property. Children had seen the scene inside the house The case became clearer when police spoke to Sunita’s son Sachin and daughter Anjali. Both children were outside the house at the time of the incident. They heard the argument from inside and rushed back. What they saw became the most crucial part of the case. Sachin told police that he saw his aunts assaulting his mother. After that, one of the women gave the children some money and sent them to a shop. When they returned, the atmosphere had completely changed. Sachin found his mother lying on the floor and unresponsive. He tried to wake her by pouring water on her, but she did not react. Postmortem report confirmed assault Meanwhile, the post-mortem report also came in. It revealed multiple injury marks on Sunita’s body. Medical examination confirmed that she had been assaulted. The report further established that she had been strangled to death. As the investigation progressed, layers of a long-running property dispute within the family began to emerge. The children told police that relations between their grandparents and their mother were normal. There had been no major conflict within the household. However, tensions over property increased after the deaths of their father and grandfather. Anjali stated that some relatives wanted Sunita to leave the house with her children so that they could take possession of the property. Sunita, however, was unwilling to do so. Layers of Conspiracy Unraveled Before Police Police separately questioned all six sisters—Laltabai, Sumitrabai, Sajanbai, Bindabai, Laxmibai and Kantabai. During interrogation, several contradictions emerged between their statements and the evidence collected from the crime scene. At the same time, the children’s accounts, the post-mortem findings and other evidence strengthened police suspicions. Children’s Testimony Became the Biggest Evidence in Court During the trial, the testimony of Sachin and Anjali became the most discussed aspect of the case. The defence attempted to convince the court that the children had been coached. They were subjected to lengthy cross-examination, with numerous questions aimed at finding inconsistencies in their statements. However, both children stood firmly by their version of events. They repeated in court exactly what they had told police during the investigation. The court found their statements natural, consistent and credible. Medical and other evidence also supported their testimony. All 6 sisters sentenced to life imprisonment After nearly a year of hearings, March 31, 2022, was fixed as the date for the verdict. All eyes in Courtroom No. 2 of the Ashta court were on Judge Kanchan Saxena. The six sisters stood in the dock as everyone present awaited the judgment. After examining the case files, witness statements and evidence, the court delivered its verdict. It held that the prosecution had successfully proved the charges. The children’s testimony was accepted as reliable and was corroborated by other evidence. As a result, all six sisters were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Sunita.