A man was sentenced to death for murdering a bhajan singer and his three family members in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district five years ago, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, Himanshu Saini, killed bhajan singer Ajay Pathak (42), his wife Neha Pathak (36), daughter Vasundhara (16) and son Bhagwat (11) in Punjabi Colony in Shamli district on December 30, 2019, District government counsel Sanjay Chauhan said.
Police recovered three bodies from the house of the victims, while Bhagwat's body was found in their car in Panipat, Haryana, where the accused had taken it to dump it by setting the vehicle on fire, Chauhan said.
District and Sessions Judge Anil Kumar awarded death sentence to Saini on Wednesday and also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh after holding him guilty of murder (IPC 302), the officials said.
According to police, Saini had committed the crime for money.
Jewellery worth Rs 22 lakh, Rs 2 lakh cash and a sharp-edged weapon were recovered from Saini's possession when he was arrested, the police said.
The brother of the victim, Hariom Pathak, had lodged an FIR in this connection against Saini.
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