Puttur: Life imprisonment was announced to Rafiq and Saidu, residents of Kodagu district for the murder of a couple five years ago, in a barbaric manner.

These two, Muhammed Rafiq (Rafiq) from Somwarpet taluk in Kodagu district and Muhammed Kalamuddin (Saidu) from Uruvalu village in Beltangady have been pronounced guilty by the fifth additional district and sessions court through a judgement passed on 22^nd Febraury, Saturday for the murder of Baby Thomas and his wife Mary Thomas five years back on 25^th Sept 2012.

The two assailants had posed as strangers to the couple and told them that their bike had developed some problem near their house. They asked the Baby Thomas couple for help and sought a lift to a destination of about 1.5 km away. But, when they were being taken to said destination by Thomas, they stabbed him to death late night on 25^th Sept 2012.

They then returned to the couple’s house and allegedly ended the life of Mary Thomas by slicing her throat. Thereafter, they stole valuables from the house and fled the scene.

For the above crime, they have been charged guilty by the court on 22^nd Febraury along with a quantum of punishment on Saturday. In addition to the imprisonment they have been charged with a fine for their crimes under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Failure to pay the fine would make liable to an extension to their stay in the jail as mentioned in the verdict.