Thiruvananthapuram:
A 38-year old man was today sentenced to death by a court in Thiruvananthapuram for murdering an NRI businessman and chopping his body into pieces before burying them in July 2011.
Awarding capital punishment to first accused Sherif for the murder of 43-year old Salim in July 2011, Principal Sessions Judge B Sudheendrakumar also sentenced his accomplice H Sanober to life imprisonment.
The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakh on the convicts which should be paid to the wife of the deceased.
Sherif was found guilty of charges of criminal conspiracy, abetment of murder, kidnapping, causing hurt by poison and murder. Second accused Sanober (43) was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and murder.
Dispute over financial dealings between the deceased and the accused was the reason for the brutal murder.
Prosecution case was that Sherif owed several lakhs of rupees to Salim and hatched a conspiracy to kill him when he demanded the money back.
He rendered Salim unconscious by giving him beer mixed with sleeping pills, hacked him to death and chopped his body into 16 pieces, which were then wrapped in plastic bags and buried in the courtyard of his house.
Salim, who had returned on leave from Saudi Arabia on June 30, 2011 went missing on July 9.