Rajkot: Two men who publicly murdered a 19-year-old student outside her college in Kutch last year were sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court in Bhuj on Thursday.The murder was committed by the victim Sakshi’s jilted lover Mohit Siddhpura (22) with the help of his friend Jayesh Thakor on Aug 28, 2025. Mohit pulled Sakshi aside under the pretext of having a conversation and stabbed her in the stomach. When she attempted to sit on Jayesh’s motorcycle to reach a hospital, Mohit jumped onto the two-wheeler and slit her throat.Principal sessions Judge D P Mahida also directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the victim’s parents.Sakshi and Mohit were neighbours in Gandhidham and were briefly in a relationship but broke up later. In July 2025, she moved to Bhuj to pursue her studies and began staying at the Bhanushali Kanya Chhatrayalaya hostel. According to the prosecution, Sakshi had blocked Mohit’s phone number hours before the attack on the advice of her mother. This was after Mohit had issued a threatening ultimatum, asking her to abandon her studies in Bhuj and return to Gandhidham, failing which he would inform her parents about their relationship.Blocking his number enraged Mohit. On the day of the murder, he went to Jayesh’s house, and the two travelled from Gandhidham to Bhuj, a distance of around 60 km, on Jayesh’s motorcycle. On the way, Mohit purchased a knife from a cutlery shop in Anjar town.A team led by inspector A M Patel of Bhuj City A Division police station, investigators collected crucial evidence, including footage from the ‘Netram’ CCTV network that tracked the duo’s motorcycle entering Bhuj. Police also obtained CCTV footage showing Mohit purchasing new clothes to change out of his bloodstained garments after the attack.District Government Pleader H B Jadeja presented 75 pieces of documentary evidence and examined 31 witnesses in court. The prosecution also relied on statements recorded under Section 183 of the BNSS. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report confirming the presence of blood on the knife and clothing was also presented as evidence.
