Two management students sentenced to life imprisonment

Pune, June 12 (UNI) A local court today sentenced to life imprisonment two MBA students, Aditi Basavdev Sharma and Pravin Premswaroop Khandelwal, for murdering former's one time boyfriend Udit Ashwinikumar Bharati.

The additional sessions and district Judge, Shalini Phansalkar Joshi today said both the accused had pleaded guilty of poisoning Udit Bharati.

The Judge, based on testimonies of the victim's friend and the vicera report, held the duo guilty of the offence.

The incident had sent shock waves among students in the college campus in April last year. The accused Aditi (24) and Pravin (24) had offered Shirdi Sai Baba's ''prasad'' laced with poison to their friend, Udit Bharti. After consuming the prasad, Udit began vomitting and later died.

All the three -- Aditi, Pravin and Udit -- hailed from Jammu and had come to Pune for management studies.

Initially, Udit's death was registered as an accidental death due to food poisoning. However, after the detailed vicera report, the police registered a case of murder that pointed to a conspiracy.

later, the police arrested Aditi and Praveen on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.

During the course of investigation, it was established that Aditi was in a relationship with Udit when they were studying Engineering in Jammu. The two had even decided to marry after completing their management studies. But Aditi had a change of heart after meeting Praveen in the Management Institute.

Both Aditi and Praveen moved to Gurgaon and worked for a private firm after their first year and even got engaged, upsetting Udit, who kept telling Aditi to stop meeting Praveen.

As the past relationship continued to haunt Aditi, she along with Praveen hatched a conspiracy to kill Udit. The duo, after landing in Pune, called Udit at a coffee house in Chinchwad and offered him ''prasad'' laced with arsenic. Udit began vomiting soon after reaching his room in a nearby area. However, before being shifted to hospital by his friends, Udit died.

The testimony by Udit's friends and the vicera report played an important in the police investigation to prove the charges against Aditi and Praveen.

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