BENGALURU: Almost seven years after he brutally murdered his wife, a former HR manager with Infosys was sentenced to life in prison by a city civil court on Saturday.
Satish Gupta (38) had strangulated his wife Priyanka Gupta and also slit her throat in the early hours of August 10, 2010. To make it look like an intruder had murdered his wife and also to mislead investigators, he planted evidence including a pair of blood-stained shoes, an expensive jacket, and a packet of cigarettes. But police cracked the case in just two days and arrested Satish on August 13.
Hulimavu police, who investigated the case, had filed a 200-page chargesheet against him under IPC Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information).
Principal City Civil and Sessions judge Basavaraj S Sappannavar, in his order convicting Satish, said it was rarest of the rare cases. The judge sentenced him to life time imprisonment for the murder and five years of rigorous imprisonment for giving false information to the police.
Special public prosecutor Chennappa G Harasura said the court took into consideration the circumstantial evidence produced by Hulimavu police. Witnesses also deposed in the case, he added.
“Satish was never given bail though he applied for it before the High Court and even the Supreme Court. He was let on parole to appear for some exams and over a property issue,” he said.
The story so far
August 10, 2010
Satish strangulates his wife Priyanka and later slits her throat early in the morning. He had planted evidence to make it look like somebody else murdered her
August 13, 2010: Hulimavu police crack the case and arrest Satish
October, 2010
Hulimavu police file chargesheet before Principal City Civil and Sessions Court. Hearing starts later on
April 2012
Satish’s bail plea dismissed by High Court
September 2012
Bail plea dismissed by Supreme Court
August 2015
High Court grants one month interim bail to Satish
August 2015
Satish seeks extension of interim bail, but court rejects it.
August 28, 2017
Principal City Civil and Sessions Judge Basavaraj S Sappannavar convicts Satish Kumar
August 29, 2017
Satish sentenced to life term in prison for murdering his wife
and five years RI for giving false information to police.