Jaipur: In a chilling seven-year-old case from Jhalawar, Rajasthan, the Special SC-ST Court on Wednesday convicted four individuals for the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Chetan Prakash Galana.
The officer was killed in a premeditated plan involving an overdose of anaesthesia.
Two prime accused, constable Praveen Rathod and his associate Shahrukh, have been sentenced to life imprisonment, while Chetan’s wife, Anita Meena, and a nursing staff member, Santosh Nirmal, who provided the ketamine injection, have been sentenced to 14 years in prison along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.
Chetan’s body was found on Bhawani Mandi Road on February 14, 2018. Initially believed to be a natural death due to the absence of injury marks, suspicions arose when further investigation revealed a conspiracy. Constable Praveen Rathod, posted in Jhalawar’s ACB, was having an illicit affair with Chetan’s wife. Their relationship led to frequent arguments, and Chetan had even suspected that his younger son was fathered by Praveen.
He had reportedly mentioned conducting a DNA test, which threatened to expose the affair. Fearing this, Praveen and Anita plotted his murder. On the day of the incident, Praveen, along with his accomplices Shahrukh, Prince, and Farhan, abducted Chetan as he arrived in Jhalawar by train.
He was taken to a secluded area, where Praveen injected two high doses of ketamine into his thighs. Once unconscious, Chetan was smothered to death. The initial autopsy showed no external injuries, leading the police to believe it was a natural death, but a later confession by one of the accused unravelled the truth.
It was also revealed that this was Praveen’s seventh attempt to murder Chetan. Previous failed attempts included pushing him from a train, trying to stage an accident with a truck, and sending goons to his Delhi residence.
This time, using medical knowledge and anaesthesia, the plan succeeded. After a thorough investigation, six individuals were arrested.
On Wednesday, the court convicted four of them, while two were acquitted due to lack of evidence. Chetan’s father, Mahadev Meena, expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict, stating that such a heinous crime deserved the death penalty.
(IANS)
