Sah awarded death sentence, 3 get life term in Papiya Ghosh murder case

New Delhi, Sep 19 : A fast track court in Patna today handed out sentences in the sensational Papiya Ghosh murder case.

The prime accused Shankar Sah was awarded death, while three other co-accused Anil Oraon, Manohar Kumar Thakur, and Ashish Kumar Rai were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Advocate Ramchandra Mahto, charged with assisting in concealment of stolen property, was given two years in jail. Mahto, however, was not directly involved in committing the murder of the historian and her maid.

Two more accused are still at large.

Papiya Ghosh (53), a Patna University Professor, and her maid Malti Devi (70) were stabbed by four assailants for resisting their robbery attempt on December 3, 2006.

According to police, the main gate of the Professor's house was "ajar" when the gang "sneaked in" around 9 pm that night. They probably knew her daily routine well and had therefore decided to strike at that hour.

Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had then called up Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to inquire about the "shocking" crime.

ANI