Ranchi, February 5: A special court in Ranchi, Jharkhand, has sentenced three individuals to life imprisonment in the notorious Rupesh Pandey murder case from 2022. The convicted individuals include Mohammad Aslam Ansari, also known as Pappu Miyan, Mohammad Gufran, and Mohammad Kaif. Each has also been fined ₹10,000.
Following the sentencing, the three convicts were taken into judicial custody and sent to prison. On February 2, the court found them guilty after hearing arguments from both sides. Two other accused, Mohammad Irfan and Istikhar Miyan, were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The incident occurred in the Barhi police station area of Hazaribagh district. On February 6, 2022, 17-year-old Rupesh Pandey went to observe the Saraswati Puja immersion procession with his uncle. It is alleged that a mob led by Mohammad Aslam Ansari surrounded Rupesh near the worship site and brutally beat him to death. This incident sparked widespread outrage across Jharkhand, leading to tense situations in several districts.
Initially, 27 individuals were named as accused in the Barhi police station, but the police filed charges against only five after preliminary investigations. Given the case’s seriousness, the victim’s mother approached the Jharkhand High Court, which subsequently ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the case.
The CBI registered the case under FIR number 1/2024 and conducted the trial in a special sessions court. During the trial, special public prosecutor Priyanshu Singh represented the prosecution.