A sessions court in Gujarat's Kheda district has handed down a five-year prison sentence to a 32-year-old woman for her role in driving a 27-year-old man to suicide and extorting a large sum of money from him. The court convicted Kinjal Patel under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code in a case dating back to 2021.
Court Conviction and Financial Penalty
The Nadiad Sessions Court pronounced its verdict on Thursday, December 19, 2024. In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Kinjal Patel. The order states that failure to pay this fine will result in an additional one year of simple imprisonment. Furthermore, the court directed that Rs 25,000 from this fine be paid as compensation to the family of the deceased, Vishal Shankar Gohil.
Details of the Case and Extortion Plot
According to the prosecution led by Public Prosecutor P R Tiwari, the victim, Vishal Gohil, worked as a labourer and was a neighbour of the accused. The two were involved in an extramarital affair for over a year. The case took a sinister turn when Kinjal, along with her husband Sachin Patel and another accomplice named Jitendra alias Gopal Rana, both aged 40, began to blackmail Gohil.
The trio allegedly extorted Rs 1.8 lakh from Gohil, forcing him to pay the amount in small installments. Despite paying the full sum, the harassment and blackmail continued, with the accused threatening to expose his relationship with Kinjal. Unable to bear the relentless mental pressure, Gohil consumed poison at his home in Nadiad on September 14, 2021. He was rushed to the Nadiad civil hospital but succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Suicide Note and Witness Testimonies Seal Fate
A crucial piece of evidence was a suicide note left behind by Vishal Gohil. The note was discovered in his clothing during the postmortem examination. In it, he explicitly named Kinjal Patel and the others, holding them responsible for the extreme mental stress that led to his drastic step. Forensic analysis confirmed the handwriting on the note belonged to the victim.
Gohil's brother, Hardik, filed a formal complaint at the Nadiad Town Police Station, leading to the arrest of the accused. Although all three were later released on bail, the trial proceeded based on substantial evidence. The prosecution presented statements from 10 witnesses, including the victim's brother and mother, and submitted 23 documentary evidences to build its case.
While the court acquitted Kinjal's husband Sachin Patel and Jitendra Rana due to insufficient evidence, the collective proof was deemed strong enough to convict Kinjal Patel. Following the conviction, she was taken into custody. Public Prosecutor Tiwari emphasized that the case highlighted how the accused, while being married, trapped the young unmarried man and conspired with others to financially exploit him, leading to tragedy.
