Man gets life term for ‘bomb gift’ at ex’s wedding; blast killed groom, brother | Raipur News
RAIPUR: In a chilling case of murder using a “gift bomb”, a court in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham has sentenced a 33-year-old man to life imprisonment for killing a groom and his brother with an explosive concealed inside a home theatre gifted at a wedding. The prosecution cast Sarju Markam as a jilted lover whom a woman had spurned to marry the groom.Besides the deaths of groom Hemendra Meravi and his brother Rajkumar in the blast on April 3, 2023, in Rengakhar’s Chamari village, five others, including a minor, suffered severe injuries in the explosion, which also caused the roof and walls of the house to collapse.According to the prosecution, Madhya Pradesh native Markam previously worked as a mechanic and had prior experience handling explosives at a drilling firm. Angry over the marriage of the woman to Hemendra, Markam assembled an explosive mixture of gunpowder, ammonium nitrate, and petrol. He stuffed the explosives into a home theatre system purchased from a shop in MP’s Balaghat.Home theatre exploded when plugged in socketThe blast occurred when Hemendra and his brother plugged the home theatre into a power socket. Witness statements, electronic records and CCTV footage confirmed that Markam packed the gift and brought it to the wedding venue on a motorcycle before leaving it in a courtyard.According to the prosecution, Markam was in love with the woman, who subsequently married Hemendra on March 31, 2023. Markam had spoken to Hemendra over phone on the day of the wedding and told him about his relationship with the woman. During that conversation, Hemendra allegedly abused Markam, following which the latter decided to exact revenge, the police said. Call records confirmed Markam’s pre-wedding contact with the victim.In his Aug 14 order, Kabirdham additional sessions judge Gitesh Kumar Kaushik held Markam guilty of planting the explosive to kill Hemendra and his family. Markam was convicted on several counts such as murder, attempt to murder, and offences under Explosive Substances Act, 1908. TNN
