INDIA. CAPITAL SENTENCE UPHELD BY HIGH COURT

the Allahabad High Court, India, upheld the death sentence handed to Mulla and Guddu by the Sitapur Sessions Court on April 3, 2005 in connection with the case of five villagers held hostage for ransom who were executed due to non fulfilment of the killers' demands. According to the prosecution, on the night of December 21, 1995, eight people stopped some villagers in Ishaganj and started enquiring about their status, property and land. Meanwhile, some more villagers came by and were also held up at gunpoint and asked the same question. The assailants, who were equipped with firearms, started beating some of the villagers with rifle butts and, while holding five of them as hostages, called upon the rest of them to go and bring 10,000 rupees (approx. 200 EU) each or else the hostages would be killed. Since no ransom money was collected, the victims’ throats were cut open with some sharp-edged weapon and their bodies later recovered later.