Chilling grin of man accused of killing cop’s wife, daughter outside court

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Raipur: “Achchha wala dikhaiyega, smile karte hue (Use a good pic, smiling one).” Moments after a Surajpur district fast-track court sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for trying to mow down policemen with a car, Kuldeep Sahu, 28, walked out smiling at cameras and asked mediapersons to use his smiling picture.The video of Sahu grinning outside the courtroom circulated widely on social media, drawing attention not just to Monday’s sentence but also to the far graver case awaiting its final order: the 2024 murder of a head constable’s wife and minor daughter, in which Sahu and three others have been convicted. The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence in that case on Oct 8.Sahu was brought from Ambikapur central jail to Surajpur court under heavy security.The 10-year sentence relates to an incident from the night of Oct 13, 2024, when police were searching for Sahu after he attacked constable Ghanshyam Sonwani at Surajpur’s old bus stand by throwing boiling oil on him. During the ensuing police action, Sahu tried to run over a policeman with a car, according to the prosecution.The fast-track court convicted him in the attempt-to-murder case and sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. Five other accused in that case were acquitted.The same night, the wife and minor daughter of a head constable posted in Surajpur were killed inside their rented house. Their bodies were later found around 5 km away.In that case, the court convicted Sahu along with Rinku alias Phool Singh, Chandrakant Chaudhary and Aryan Vishwakarma on charges including murder. Two other accused were acquitted. The court has reserved Oct 8 for sentencing.The prosecution case also includes sexual assault and Pocso Act charges linked to the double murder.Sahu had separately faced allegations of firing at a police team led by the then Bishrampur police station in-charge while fleeing near Latori, but he and another accused were acquitted in that case for lack of sufficient evidence.The double murder had triggered widespread outrage in Surajpur, with residents taking to the streets demanding strict punishment. Vehicles parked outside Sahu’s house and godown were torched during the unrest.Police records showed that Sahu had figured in more than two dozen criminal cases before the murders. After the incident, he fled and was later apprehended by Balrampur police.