Repeat murderer’s acid trail ends at gallows

Surat: A 62-year-old man with a penchant for using acid in violent crimes was on Wednesday sentenced to death by a court here, for the 2019 murder of a 23-year-old man. The court cited his history of similar brutal offences to rule that this case was indeed the “rarest of the rare”.The Surat district and sessions court convicted Bechar Kakadiya of murdering Yash Doshi, the son of his business partner, in a premeditated attack where acid was thrown on the victim before he was stabbed to death.The evidence on record showed that Kakadiya had a history of violent offences involving the use of acid. In 1999, he murdered his brother-in-law Shantilal — by throwing acid on him — over a family dispute. He was tried for this and sentenced to life imprisonment, in a case registered with Varachha police.While out on parole in 2004, he used acid to attack his wife Bhavna and another brother-in-law, Dhansukh, leading to another case being filed at Katargam police station. Bhavna and Dhansukh survived.After serving part of his sentence, Kakadiya was granted early release. He later entered the zari business in partnership with Kirti Doshi. According to the prosecution, a dispute arose with Kakadiya believing that Kirti owed him Rs 15 lakh.On March 28, 2019, Kakadiya bought acid, which is used in diamond processing, and went to Yash Doshi’s office in Pandesara. He then threw acid on Yash and stabbed him repeatedly, killing him. Pandesara police registered a murder case and later arrested Kakadiya.At the trial, assistant public prosecutor Tejas Pancholi argued that the murder was planned and driven by an urge to get revenge on the victim’s father. The prosecution produced CCTV footage showing Kakadiya wearing gloves and carrying out the attack, along with eyewitness testimonies from workers at the unit.“The scientific probe determined that the victim died due to the acid attack. The accused used the same modus operandi he had used to kill his brother-in-law in 1999. The accused should be given maximum punishment as he has a mentality of committing serious crime,” Pancholi argued.The defence counsel emphasized Kakadiya’s religious and social activities, to plead for leniency.After hearing both sides, fourth additional sessions judge Jayeshkumar Shrimali observed that Kakadiya had committed “serious and anti-social crimes” and showed a repeated pattern of violence.“To prevent repeated offences and considering no possibility of improvement in his criminal mentality, the accused is liable for appropriate punishment,” the court said.Citing his criminal history and the brutality of the crime, the court termed the case the “rarest of rare” and sentenced Kakadiya to death under Section 302 of the IPC.