Anger erupted outside a court in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari on Wednesday after five men were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of three friends in a case that shocked the district.

Relatives of the victims expressed disappointment with the court’s decision and demanded the death penalty for the convicts. As the accused were being taken out of the court premises, some family members threw shoes, slippers and stones at them, shouting, “What did you gain by destroying our families?”

The court had sentenced all five adult accused to life imprisonment in the triple-murder case.

Families Demand Death Penalty

The victims’ relatives said the three men had left behind young children and argued that life imprisonment was not sufficient punishment.

One relative became emotional while recalling a young daughter of one of the victims, saying the child still looks towards the door expecting her father to return with chocolates.

The families said they were unhappy with the sentence and would consider challenging the verdict in a higher court.

Police personnel maintained security outside the court as the convicts were taken away in a prison vehicle.

Three Friends Killed After Dispute

The incident took place near Annapurna Dhaba in Bhoyna village under the Arjuni police station area of Dhamtari on the night of August 11, 2025.

According to the prosecution case, five young men travelling in a car had gone out in Dhamtari and stopped near the dhaba to ask about something.

Eight people were already at the dhaba and were reportedly involved in an argument over payment of a bill. The group was allegedly damaging chairs at the establishment.

When the five youths got out of their car, an argument broke out between the two groups. The dispute escalated into verbal abuse and then a physical confrontation.

Knife Attack Killed Three

During the altercation, the main accused, Gopi Diwan, allegedly attacked three of the youths with a knife.

The victims were identified as Alok Singh Thakur, Nitin Tandi and Suresh Nihal.

All three died at the scene from injuries sustained in the attack. The injured victims were taken to hospital after the incident, while police launched an investigation into the killings.

The case subsequently became known as the Dhamtari triple-murder case.

Five Adults Among Eight Accused

Police arrested the accused following the investigation. The case involved five adult accused and three juveniles.

Public prosecutor Geetesh Prajapati said the five adult accused had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the triple murder.

Additional sentences were also imposed for other offences. The accused received two years for rioting, five years for illegal possession of weapons and six months for assaulting others.

Gopi Diwan, Kuleshwar Netam and Ranveer Sahu were separately sentenced in the weapons-related case.

The prosecutor said sentences of up to three years would run concurrently.

Verdict Delivered Within a Year

The prosecution said the case was decided within roughly a year.

The charge sheet was submitted before the court on November 11, while the verdict was pronounced on August 12, 2026.

The prosecution had sought the death penalty for the accused, while the victims’ families had also demanded capital punishment.

However, the court awarded life imprisonment to the five adult accused.

The verdict was delivered by First Additional Sessions Judge Mohan Singh Korram.

Families May Challenge Verdict

The victims’ families have indicated that they are considering an appeal against the sentence.

Their reaction outside the court reflected the anger and grief that has continued since the three young men were killed.

The case had also drawn attention because of the circumstances surrounding the victims’ deaths and the impact on their families, including young children who lost their fathers.

With the five accused sentenced to life imprisonment, the next legal step could now come from the victims’ families if they decide to challenge the punishment before a higher court.

Nearly five years after one of Ratlam's most chilling crimes, a sessions court has sentenced three men to triple life imprisonment for the murder of an entire family on the night of Chhoti Diwali. The mastermind behind the killings, however, never made it to trial — he was shot dead in a police encounter just days after the crime.

On the night of November 25, 2020, Govind Solanki, his wife Sharda, and their daughter Divya were shot dead inside their home in the Rajiv Nagar area of Ratlam. All three were shot in the head. The crime went undetected through the night. It was only the next morning that a tenant nurse named Jvelika, living on the ground floor, noticed her Activa scooter was missing. When she went upstairs to ask the landlord about it, she found three bodies on the floor, blood still pooling around them.

Police combed through CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding routes. The footage led them to Noori Guest House in Indra Nagar, where one of the accused — Anurag alias Bobby — was eventually traced. Under questioning, he named the others: Dilip Deval, Lala Bhabor, and Golu Bilwal. The latter two were arrested soon after. Dilip Deval, the mastermind, fired at the police team sent to apprehend him and was killed in the retaliatory action on December 4, 2020. A pistol, live cartridges, and looted jewellery were recovered from his rented house.

The case that went to trial rested heavily on forensic evidence. Additional Public Prosecutor Samarth Patidar said 111 material exhibits, 210 documents, and 33 witnesses were placed before the court. DNA from the victims was found on the clothes and footwear of the accused. The scooter used to flee the scene carried Lala's DNA on the handlebars. Ballistic analysis confirmed that the bullets were fired from the pistol recovered from Dilip Deval's house.

Additional Sessions Judge Rajesh Namdev convicted Anurag alias Bobby (33), Golu alias Gaurav (29), and Lala Bhabor (27) on charges of murder and robbery, sentencing each to triple life imprisonment along with a fine.

Dilip Deval was no ordinary criminal. He was a fugitive from Gujarat's Dahod jail, where he had been imprisoned for murder, and had absconded on parole, living in Ratlam under false identity documents. Investigators found he had deliberately chosen the night of Chhoti Diwali so that gunshots would be drowned out by the noise of firecrackers. A separate killing in Ratlam's Kasturba Nagar on May 18, 2020 was also linked to him and his associates.

After the encounter, then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had called Deval a "narpishach" — a human demon — saying such people had no right to live in society. All three surviving accused have been in custody since December 2, 2020.

The main accused in the killing of former Janpad Panchayat president Bharat Singh and two others has surrendered before police, taking the total arrests in the case to eight.

The mastermind behind the brutal murder of BJP leader Bharat Singh alias Lalla Singh and two others, who were burnt alive in their vehicle, surrendered before police on Saturday along with three other accused.

Manoj Tripathi, identified as the main conspirator, surrendered at the Manendragarh police station along with Nishant Tripathi, Aman and Ashutosh Tripathi. Police had been conducting extensive search operations across multiple states to trace the absconding accused.

The August 16 Attack

The incident occurred late on June 16 in Naugain village of Koriya district when a group of assailants blocked a Fortuner vehicle by positioning trucks in front and behind it. The attackers then doused the vehicle with petrol and set it ablaze, killing those trapped inside.

The victims were former Janpad Panchayat president Bharat Singh alias Lalla Singh, his cousin and teacher Nagendra Singh, and another person who succumbed to injuries in Ambikapur. A fourth person was injured and referred to Raipur for treatment.

Police Confirm Surrender

Manendragarh Superintendent of Police Ratna Singh confirmed the development, stating that continuous police pressure and raids had compelled the accused to surrender.

"Police teams were conducting raids across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to locate the accused. Photographs of the suspects were circulated to police forces in neighbouring states," Singh said.

She added that the investigation would now be pursued further by the Koriya police to establish the complete sequence of events.

Sand Mining Dispute Background

The murder stemmed from a long-running dispute over illegal sand mining and extortion between the Singh and Tripathi families in the region.

According to sources, the sand mining contract at Chirmi ghat was awarded to Mayank Singh approximately eight months ago. Following this, the Singh family began collecting ₹1,000 per truck from illegally mined sand from Sonhat, Kailashpur, Telimuda, Belia and Chhingura.

The Tripathi family, which owns tipper vehicles and transports sand to district headquarters Baikunthpur for sale, refused to pay the levy. This disagreement had created tension between the two families for several months.

Escalation and Assault

The immediate trigger for the murder was an assault that occurred on Tuesday when Nishant Tripathi was attacked by members of the Singh family near Shivghat in Naugain. An FIR was registered at the Sonhat police station in connection with the assault.

Bharat Singh had gone to Naugain village on the day of the murder, reportedly in an attempt to resolve the dispute. However, the assailants launched a planned attack, trapping him and others in the vehicle before setting it on fire.

Political Connections

Bharat Singh was a close associate of Baikunthpur MLA Bhaiyalal Rajwade and a known strongman in the area. Accused Manoj Tripathi is considered a close associate of former Union Minister of State and BJP MLA Renuka Singh.

The family feud had also drawn the attention of law enforcement earlier. A complaint regarding an illegal siren fitted on Bharat Singh's Fortuner was filed at the Sonhat police station. Police removed the siren reportedly under pressure from Renuka Singh, which further escalated tensions, according to sources.

Arrests So Far

Four accused — Akshat Tripathi, Satyaprakash Tripathi, Mannu Tripathi and Vishal Tripathi — were arrested earlier in the case. They were produced before court on Thursday evening and sent to judicial custody.

With the surrender of Manoj Tripathi and three others on Saturday, a total of eight people have now been arrested in connection with the triple murder. One accused remains absconding, and police teams are continuing their search operations.

Public Outrage

The incident has sparked widespread outrage in the region. The Karni Sena has warned of protests and declared that it stands with the victim's family until justice is delivered.

Former Deputy Chief Minister T.S. Singh Deo criticized the state government's failure to control sand mafia activity in the region.

"Police had information about the rivalry and tension between the two families. Despite this, three people were murdered," Singh Deo said. "Sand mafia is so powerful that a government employee was killed on the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand border. If you cannot control this, then the contract system should be abolished."

The Investigation Continues

Police have appealed to the public to maintain peace as the investigation proceeds. The case has also raised questions about the involvement of political leaders in the sand mining mafia and the failure to prevent escalating violence between rival groups.

Triple Murders in Delhi Trigger Safety Concerns Across the Capital

A series of violent incidents reported within a single day has once again put the spotlight on rising street violence in the national capital. Triple murders in Delhi were reported on Tuesday, including the brutal killing of a businessman in Connaught Place and two other fatal attacks involving minors in different parts of the city. The incidents have sparked public outrage and renewed debates on urban safety and juvenile crime.

Connaught Place Murder: Businessman Beaten With Helmets

The most shocking of the triple murders in Delhi occurred in the heart of the city’s commercial hub, Connaught Place. Shivam Gupta, a 36-year-old businessman from Laxmi Nagar, was allegedly beaten to death by three food delivery riders.

According to Delhi Police, the incident took place late on the night of January 2 near Rajiv Chowk Metro Station. Gupta, who had attended a party with a friend, reportedly asked a food delivery rider for water. What started as a minor exchange soon escalated into a violent argument.

Police said one delivery rider hit Gupta on the head with a helmet, following which two others joined in, kicking and punching him. Gupta collapsed unconscious on the road.

Key details from the case include:

 Police Control Room received a call around 1:30 am on January 3

 Victim was first taken to LNJP Hospital, later shifted to RML Hospital

 He underwent surgery on January 5 and succumbed to injuries on January 19

Initially registered under culpable homicide charges, the case is now under close scrutiny. Two accused have been taken into custody, while CCTV footage and forensic evidence are being examined.

Gulabi Bagh Killing: Minor Attacks Railway Employee

Another disturbing incident was reported from Gulabi Bagh, where a 17-year-old boy allegedly killed a railway employee. Police stated that the minor attacked the man with a gas cylinder and later slit his throat.

During interrogation, the minor claimed the victim had attempted to molest him. Authorities are investigating the claim while ensuring juvenile justice procedures are followed. This case has added complexity to the broader discussion around minors involved in violent crimes.

Pandav Nagar Stabbing: Three Minors Held

The third case in the Delhi crime news cycle came from Pandav Nagar, where three minors allegedly stabbed a 22-year-old man to death. Police said the victim was accused of attacking a minor, leading to a violent confrontation.

All three accused are juveniles, and investigations are ongoing to establish the sequence of events and motive behind the attack.

Why These Incidents Matter Now

The triple murders in Delhi highlight a worrying trend of sudden violence, public altercations turning fatal, and increasing involvement of minors in serious crimes. Experts point to the need for:

 Better conflict management and policing in public spaces

 Stronger monitoring of juvenile behaviour and counselling systems

 Faster response and legal clarity in cases involving street violence

Urban safety analysts warn that unchecked aggression and delayed interventions can lead to tragic outcomes, as seen in these cases.

As Delhi grapples with these three brutal killings, questions are being raised about public safety, accountability, and the effectiveness of current preventive measures. With investigations underway, citizens and authorities alike are hoping for swift justice—and stronger safeguards to prevent such tragedies in the future.