Sagar, Madhya Pradesh
A court in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district has sentenced Santosh Lodhi to death for the murder of his 50-year-old mother. Additional District and Sessions Judge R.L. Shakya of Banda pronounced the verdict on Wednesday, describing the crime as one of the “rarest of the rare.” DNA evidence, fingerprints and other forensic evidence collected by the police played a crucial role in establishing the accused’s guilt.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on July 19, 2025. Sitaram Lodhi had gone to Chhatarpur to bring his daughter home. At that time, his wife and son Santosh Lodhi were at the house. When Sitaram returned home the following day, July 20, he found his wife’s blood-soaked body lying in the courtyard. His son Santosh was missing from the house.
During the police investigation, it was alleged that Santosh had attempted to rape his mother while she was alone at home. When she resisted, Santosh allegedly attacked her with a stone, resulting in her death. As the investigation progressed, police collected several crucial pieces of evidence from the crime scene.
Police recovered fingerprints from the scene and collected biological samples from the victim’s body. During forensic examination, the DNA obtained from these biological samples matched Santosh’s DNA. The prosecution presented the DNA evidence, fingerprints and other forensic findings before the court as key evidence against the accused.
During the trial, the victim’s husband, Sitaram Lodhi, turned hostile and did not support the prosecution’s case in his testimony. Despite this, the prosecution relied on the scientific and forensic evidence collected by the police. These findings were presented before the court to establish the accused’s involvement in the crime.
After completing the investigation, police prepared a charge sheet of approximately 150 pages. The charge sheet was submitted to the court on November 18, 2025. During the subsequent proceedings, statements from 25 witnesses, including Sitaram Lodhi, were recorded.
After examining the evidence presented in the case, the court found Santosh Lodhi guilty. Considering the extreme brutality and seriousness of the crime, the court classified it as one of the “rarest of the rare” cases and awarded him the death penalty.
Forensic evidence played a particularly significant role in the case. Despite the victim’s husband turning hostile during the trial, scientific evidence such as DNA and fingerprints strengthened the prosecution’s case. Based on this evidence, the court concluded that the accused was responsible for the crime.
The case from Sagar district highlights the importance of scientific and forensic evidence in criminal investigations. In this case, biological samples, DNA evidence and fingerprints collected by the police were presented before the court and used during the trial to establish the accused’s involvement.
