Raichur (Karnataka), April 8 (IANS) A court in Karnataka's Raichur district on Tuesday pronounced its verdict on the sensational honour killing case of the murder of five members of a family over an inter-caste love marriage in 2020, sentencing three of the convicts to death and nine others to life imprisonment.

The honour killing had shaken the state and made national headlines.

The Third Additional District and Sessions Court in Sindhanur sentenced the girl's father, Sannafakeerappa, and relatives Ammanna and Somashekar to death and fined them Rs 47,000 each. The nine others convicted of the crime were sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 97,500 slapped on each of them.

The convicts had brutally murdered Erappa, 65, his wife Sumitramma, 55, and their children Nagaraj, 38, Sridevi, 36, and Hanumesh, 35. Erappa’s daughter-in-law, Revathi, and his mother, Tayamma, sustained serious injuries in the attack.

The incident was triggered by the inter-caste marriage of Sannafakeerappa’s daughter, Manjula, who had married Mounesh from the victim’s family against her parents' wishes.

Enraged by the marriage, the dozen forcibly entered the victims’ house on July 11, 2020, dragged them outside, and murdered them in the middle of the road using deadly weapons.

Manjula and Mounesh, residents of Sukalpet in Sindhanur, were in a relationship and got married, choosing to live separately from their families due to opposition from Manjula’s family. The tragic incident occurred just a few months after their marriage.

The couple remained safe and were placed under police protection following the attack.

After their marriage, the couple had visited Manjula’s father at his residence. However, her family, strongly opposed to the inter-caste union, refused to accept them, and allegedly threatened to kill Mounesh’s entire family.

Following this threat, the couple lodged a complaint at the Sindhanur police station, seeking protection for themselves and Mounesh’s family members. Angered by this development, Manjula’s family allegedly stormed Mounesh’s house and began a quarrel with his parents, siblings, and sister.

The situation escalated into a brutal attack, during which Manjula’s family members barged into the house and assaulted Mounesh’s family. The Sindhanur police rushed to the scene and arrested four of the accused at the crime spot.