LUCKNOW: Nearly three years after a gruesome triple murder shocked Mahoba district, a fast-track court has sentenced a man to death for killing his wife and two young daughters by crushing their heads with a grinding stone.The conviction came under the Uttar Pradesh Police’s “Operation Conviction” campaign aimed at securing speedy justice in serious criminal cases.On Wednesday, the court of additional district and sessions judge/fast-track court, Mahoba, Aparna Tripathi, found Devendra Vishwakarma guilty of the triple murder and awarded him the death penalty along with a fine of Rs 50,000.According to police, the incident took place on July 17, 2023, when Devendra Vishwakarma (31), son of Thakurdin Vishwakarma and a resident of Samad Nagar under Kotwali Nagar police station limits in Mahoba, allegedly murdered his wife Ram Kumari (28) and their two minor daughters, Ayushi (9) and Sonakshi (6).SP, Mahoba, Shashank Singh, who supervised the probe, said the accused used a sil-batta (traditional grinding stone) to crush the heads of the three victims, resulting in their deaths. The victims were residents of Nauranga village under Majhgawan police station in neighbouring Hamirpur district.Following the incident, the victim’s father lodged a complaint at Kotwali Nagar police station.Based on his complaint, police registered a case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for murder and launched an investigation.The investigation was conducted by inspector Upendra Pratap Singh, who collected evidence and completed the probe. A chargesheet was filed before the court on August 24, 2023.SP Singh said the case was closely monitored under Operation Conviction, a special initiative launched by DGP Rajeev Krishna to ensure swift prosecution and conviction in heinous crimes.The district monitoring cell and prosecution team pursued the matter continuously before the court.Following the crime, the accused had been lodged in Jhansi district jail under judicial custody. He was brought to Mahoba through the prescribed legal procedure for court proceedings, where the judgment was pronounced.The prosecution was led by district government counsel Dinesh Kumar Singh.
