Habitual Offender Sentenced to Death in Surat for Brutal Acid Attack and Murder

A local court has handed down the capital punishment to a 55-year-old man for the 2019 killing of a young businessman, marking a grim end to a history of violent assaults.

A Surat district additional sessions court has sentenced 55-year-old Bechar Kakadiya to death for the 2019 murder of 23-year-old Yash Doshi. Judge J.L. Shrimali, in a stern rebuke of the offender's repeat criminal behavior, ordered that the convict be hanged until death. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000, while handing down a concurrent sentence of life imprisonment for the charge of causing grievous hurt using acid.

The brutal incident occurred on March 28, 2019, in the Pandesara GIDC area. According to police, Kakadiya targeted the victim—the son of a former business associate—following a financial disagreement involving a Rs 15 lakh investment. After a heated verbal exchange, the attacker threw concentrated acid on Yash Doshi and proceeded to chase him down, inflicting fatal injuries with a sharp weapon.

A Pattern of Violence

The conviction highlights the profile of a "habitual" offender who had been involved in multiple attacks using acid over two decades. In 2000, Kakadiya was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his brother-in-law, Shantilal Patel, which he committed by dousing him in acid. Despite his incarceration, he continued his pattern of violence; while out on parole in 2004, he attacked his wife and another brother-in-law, Dhansukh Patel, in a similar fashion. Though the victims survived that 2004 attack, the pattern of aggression remained consistent.

Following a mercy petition in 2010, Kakadiya was released from the Surat Central Jail in 2013 after serving ten years. However, his return to society was short-lived as he soon became embroiled in the business dispute that ultimately led to the murder of Yash Doshi. Pandesara police officials arrested him the day after the 2019 murder, and he has remained in judicial custody at the Lajpore jail ever since.

Judicial Scrutiny

During the trial, Assistant Public Prosecutor Tejash Pancholi presented a robust case comprising 60 pieces of documentary evidence and the testimonies of 33 witnesses. The prosecution argued that the murder was a pre-planned act of vengeance, emphasizing the defendant's history as a habitual criminal who had repeatedly weaponized acid to settle personal grievances.

The court’s decision to impose the death penalty serves as a significant legal development in Surat, underscoring the severity with which the judiciary views premeditated violence and repeat offenses. While the defense had sought leniency, the court ultimately determined that the nature of the crime and the offender's track record warranted the maximum possible punishment under the law.