A 35-year-old man from Thane jailed for 20 years for murdering his neighbour's 10-year-old son

A local court has handed a 20-year imprisonment to a 35-year-old man from Diwa in Thane district of Maharashtra for murdering the 10-year-old son of his neighbour over a petty issue in 2014.

The testimony of the younger brother of the victim nailed the role of the accused in the crime.

District Judge VY Jadhav on Friday convicted Kiran Tambe under sections 302 (Punishment for murder) and 363 (Punishment for kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and directed him to pay Rs 55,000 as fine.

"The prosecution has proved the charges against the accused beyond all doubts for which the accused needs to be convicted and sentenced," the judge noted.

A total of nine witnesses were examined during the trial.

Additional Public Prosecutor Vinit Kulkarni told the court that Tambe had scolded the victim and his brother on January 19, 2014 for watching him fight with his wife. Tambe later had a heated argument with the father of the boys who had confronted him.

"On the next day (January 20), Tambe took the ten-year-old boy to the terrace of their building and asked him to bring liquor for him, which he refused. Irked by this, Tambe attacked the boy with a sickle and pushed him off the terrace. The boy died on way to hospital," said Mr Kulkarni.

Among other evidence, the court also relied on the testimony of the younger brother of the victim, he said.

