2 get 5 years RI, fine, for setting fire to a house

Kundapura: The district and sessions court here has sentenced two men accused of setting fire to a house to rigorous imprisonment and also fined them, on Saturday, July 7^th.

The court sentenced Rajesh Shetty alias Rajendra (35) and Raghavendra Shetty to six years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and imposed a fine of 60,000 rupees. Judge of the court, Prakash Khanderi, also ordered to pay Kushala Shetty, owner of the house in question, Rs 45,000 out of the said fine.

On April 22, 2015, Kushala Shetty’s son wedding was being held. The entire family were away attending the wedding and had left behind a a local woman, Kaveri Mogaveera, to take care of the house. Meanwhile, the accused Rajesh Shetty and Raghavendra Shetty came to the house, threatened Kaveri Mogaveera, broke open the house door, damaged items found inside the house, poured kerosene oil brought by them on the items and set the house on fire. Unsatiated, they went ahead and destroyed the podium and decorations erected for wedding. The family came to know about the incident only after coming back from the wedding.

Consequently, a police complaint was registered at Byndoor police station and the accused were arrested by the then Byndoor station inspector Santhosh Kaikini.

Justice Prakash Khanderi who conducted trial sentenced the convicts to five year’s rigorous imprisonment for setting fire to the house, one year’s rigorous imprisonment, fine of Rs fifty thousand and ten thousand rupees fine for destroying valuables in the house.