IIT Alumni gets life imprisonment for Mumbai based fashion designer's murder in 2008

The Learned Court of Special Judge, CBI Cases, Court No. 2, Lucknow on May 22, 2024, sentenced accused Rahul Verma to life Imprisonment with fine of INR 75,000 in a case related to murder of Adesh Bajpai, a Mumbai based fashion designer.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered two cases on November 18, 2010, by taking over FIR No. 842/2008 of PS Kalyanpur, District Kanpur Nagar and FIR No. 137/2008 of PS Moolganj, District Kanpur Nagar respectively, in compliance of the order dated October 8, 2010, of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad.

The case related to FIR No. 842/2008 was registered u/s 302, 201 of IPC on September 3, 2008, at PS- Kalyanpur, District Kanpur Nagar on a complaint lodged by  Security Officer of IIT Kanpur stating that bones in a gunny bag were recovered in Old Type-III area of IIT Kanpur Campus. Subsequently, Panchayatnama/ PM  and inquiry were carried out.

The second case taken over by CBI related to FIR No. 137/2008 registered  u/s 364 of IPC on October 13, 2008, at PS- Moolganj, Kanpur on the basis of a written complaint dated 20.08.2008 lodged by Shri Surya Kumar Bajpai, R/o District- Thane, Maharastra in respect of gumshudgi (missing) of his son Shri Aadesh Bajpai from Moolganj Chauraha, Kanpur Nagar. 

During investigation, it was revealed that the deceased Adesh Bajpai, a fashion designer of Mumbai, came to Lucknow from Mumbai on August 4, 2008, and he went to Kanpur from Lucknow on August 10, 2008. The deceased Adesh Bajpai and the accused Rahul Verma were members of a group. Adesh Bajpai went with accused Rahul Verma in the night of August 10, 2008, from Moolganj Chauraha, Kanpur. 

During investigation, CBI arranged to conduct Skull Super Imposition Test by experts of CFSL, Chandigarh, Mitochondrial DNA Analysis of bones recovered from IIT, Kanpur premises by experts of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and  Forensic Psychological Assessment of accused Rahul Verma by expert of CFSL, New Delhi. The DNA expert opined that the bones were of Adesh Bajpai. 

These tests/reports by experts and circumstantial evidences established role of the accused in the murder of the deceased. The accused was arrested on January 24, 2012. 

After investigation in both cases, CBI filed a common charge-sheet on April 20, 2012, against accused Rahul Verma, R/o Lucknow in the Court of Ld. Special Judicial Magistrate, CBI Cases, Lucknow.

The Court, after trial, held the accused Rahul Verma guilty and sentenced him accordingly. During trial, CBI ensured effective prosecution, presented cogent evidences, examined 44 witnesses and exhibited 66 documents and 16 material objects which led to conviction of the accused.