DUBAI , 16 October 2003— Four of the six men who were involved in the killing of Indian hotelier Sharad Shetty in January have been sentenced to death.
A fifth was given three years jail term plus deportation for aiding and abetting the murder, while a sixth was acquitted for lack of evidence. The six, all Indians, were sentenced by the Dubai Court of First Instance.
The victim, a 47-year-old whose full name was Sharad Kumar Rajana, was head of a chain of hotels in the UAE.
Senior police officers had indicated earlier that the gunning-down was a revenge killing arranged at the behest of Indian gangland boss Chhota Rajan, who is based in Thailand.
The court sentenced the four murderers, Karansingh Mansingh, 30, Manoj Mudanna Kotian, 32, Amar Bahadur Bam, 26, and Vimal Kumar Ram, 26, to death after being found guilty of premeditated murder. Vasa Kiwat Buhamen, 26, was sentenced to three years for aiding and abetting the crime. Abdul Majid Sayyed Khan, 55, was the only suspect who got an acquittal for lack of evidence.
It is expected that all the accused will appeal against their verdicts.
Investigations by the prosecution proved that Vimal had helped Karansingh, Manoj and Amar arrive in Dubai by issuing them three visas. He was said to have armed them with 0.38 pistols and trained the three men on using the pistols in a shooting club until they excelled at marksmanship.
Meanwhile, he also helped gain three memberships for Karansingh, Manoj and Amar in the Indian club, the venue of the murder. The victim was a member of the club and a frequent visitor.
Vimal was said to have helped the three suspects study Sharad’s movements and timings, before providing them with the hit-and-run plan.
According to the prosecution, Vimal had also supported Karansingh, Manoj and Amar by giving them a car and two mobile phones. His last order for them was to “empty all their bullets into the victim’s body.”
After elaborate preparations for the murder, on the planned day Karansingh and Manoj gunned down Shetty and escaped.
Investigators said he had been shot from a distance of 30 cm. The third man, Amar, waited in a getaway car for the two gunmen and they all drove away.
Vasa was said to have aided the crime by forging three Liberian passports for the gunmen in order to smuggle them out of the UAE. He also provided a hide-out for the three men in a furnished apartment in Sharjah and gave them sailors’ outfits so they could join a ship in Mina Khalid, Sharjah, disguised as crew members.
Abdul Majid, the captain of the ship, was found to have received a call from the Indian owner of the ship who asked him to smuggle out the three men, but the court dismissed his charges because he was not aware of the crime.
