CHENNAI: A court in Tiruvallur on Tuesday sentenced a man to triple life imprisonment for the 2022 rape and murder of an 18-year-old girl, daughter of the woman with whom he was in a relationship.
The accused, Najmudeen alias Raju Mani Nair, a native of Maharashtra, was working as a mason. He was separated from his wife was in a relationship with a woman.
The man, woman, and her teenage daughter moved to Sennerkuppam near Poonamallee in 2022 and were working as construction labourers.
In November, 2022, Najmudeen raped and murdered the 18-year-old girl and fled to Mumbai with the victim's jewellery. The Poonamallee police traced the accused and arrested the man, who was booked for rape, murder and sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
After the completion of the trial, District Principal Sessions Court Judge Juliet Pushpa delivered the verdict on Tuesday.
In the judgment, the court found the accused guilty of raping the 18-year-old girl, murdering her, and stealing her jewellery, and sentenced him to three life imprisonments.
The judge ordered all sentences to run concurrently and also imposed a total fine of Rs 35,000 on him. The top brass of Avadi City police commended the police team that ensured his conviction.