Justice for journalist Soumya Vishwanathan after 15 years, killers convicted

Mangalore Today News Network / NDTV

New Delhi, Oct 18, 2023: All five accused in the 2008 murder of Delhi journalist Soumya Vishwanathan have been convicted by a Delhi court on Wednesday, almost fifteen years after the crime that took place in the national capital.

Vishwanathan, who was a journalist with the Headlines Today news channel, was shot and killed in her car while driving home from office in September 2008.

The Saket court today convicted the accused Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Sethi for the 2008 murder of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan.

 

Responding to the verdict, Soumya Vishwanathan’s mother expressed that it would serve as a "deterrent."

"Our daughter has gone, but this will act as a deterrent for others, otherwise they get more encouraged. At least one section of the gang will be out of it, that’s all," she said, reflecting on the verdict.

The young journalist Soumya Vishwanathan was found dead in her car in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area on September 30, 2008, initially believed to be a car accident until forensic reports disclosed her cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head.

CCTV footage revealed a car tailing Soumya Vishwanathan’s vehicle, and the pivotal moment in the investigation came when two accused, Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla, were arrested in connection with another case.

The Delhi Police identified similarities in the murder pattern of a call centre executive, for which the duo (Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla) was initially arrested, and Soumya Vishwanathan’s killing.

In subsequent interrogations, they confessed to the killing of Vishwanathan. The accused had described it as a "thrilling activity".

The charge sheet implicating them, along with Baljeet Malik and Ajay Sethi, was filed in June 2010, followed by the commencement of the trial in November 2010. The trial concluded in July 2016.

Courtesy: India Today