Kanpur: Additional Sessions Judge Subhash Singh on Thursday sentenced tutor Rachita Vats, her lover Prabhat Shukla and their associate Shiva Gupta to life imprisonment on charges of kidnapping for ransom and murder of 17-year-old student Kushagra Kanodia, imposing a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh on each convict.Kushagra went missing after he left home for his tuition classes on Oct 30, 2023. Later, his body was found in a room at Prabhat’s house. The case drew wide attention due to the victim’s age, the ransom demand, and the alleged breach of trust involving a former tutor. Kushagra was a Class 10 student of Jaipuria School and a resident of Raipurwa. He was allegedly kidnapped while going to coaching classes. Prosecutors said the accused planned to extort money from the family and later killed the teenager. The prosecution case stated that after the kidnapping, Prabhat Shukla took Kushagra to his residence and strangled him with a rope. Shiva Gupta and Rachita Vats were allegedly present at the time. Investigators said a ransom letter demanding Rs 30 lakh for Kushagra’s “safe release” was then delivered to the family home through Shiva Gupta, who used a scooty belonging to Rachita Vats. The vehicle was traced to Rachita Vats, a resident of Khoya Mandi in Fazalganj, who had earlier tutored Kushagra at his home. Police claimed she became nervous during questioning and disclosed that her boyfriend, Prabhat Shukla, had taken the scooty. On Oct 31, police reached Prabhat’s house in Darshan Purwa and recovered Kushagra’s body from a room, the prosecution said. During interrogation, Shiva Gupta, also from Darshanpurwa, was identified as an associate in the crime. All three were arrested and sent to jail. The prosecution alleged the motive was to arrange money for Prabhat and Rachita to marry and “settle down”, and that Kushagra was killed because he knew them. The FIR was filed at Raipurwa police station by the victim’s relative Sanjay Kanodia. Prosecutors presented 14 witnesses, including three family members. Final arguments concluded on Jan 13. The court convicted the three on Tuesday, with family members and the convicts seen weeping in court. Kushagra’s mother, Sonia Kanodia, demanded the death penalty, alleging the crime shattered trust and the teacher-student relationship.
Kushagra’s uncle Sumit Kanodia also said the family would continue to pursue the harshest punishment. During the sentencing hearing, District Government Advocate Dileep Awasthi, ADGC Bhaskar Mishra and counsel for the complainant termed the crime “heinous” and sought capital punishment. Defence lawyers argued it was a first offence, the accused had no criminal history, and Prabhat and Shiva were sole earners, while Rachita was alone in her family, urging leniency. After the verdict, lawyers and members of the public attempted to assault the convicts on the court premises.
