Gangtok, July 10 : A special court in Gangtok has handed down a life imprisonment sentence to 25-year-old Reshap Rai in connection with a murder that occurred in Samdong in July 2023.
Reshap Rai was found guilty of the brutal murder of Rukesh Rai, a 44-year-old Nepali national, using a sharp weapon in Samdong village. Both the victim and the accused were employed as laborers on the nearby JJM water supply project.
According to information provided by Special Court Judge Jyoti Khadka, the events leading to the murder began when Rukesh Rai allegedly forcibly took Reshap Rai to his residence and assaulted him. After managing to escape this confrontation, Reshap Rai, seeking revenge, later returned at night and attacked Rukesh with a sharp weapon while he was asleep, resulting in his death.
Following the incident, Reshap Rai voluntarily surrendered to the local panchayat. Villagers then handed him over to the police. The Singtam police initiated an investigation into the matter and subsequently filed charges in court.
Special Court Public Prosecutor Yadav Sharma confirmed that the court found Reshap Rai guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offense, or giving false information to screen offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Reshap Rai is currently serving his sentence in a correctional facility.
