Indian origin man in Fiji gets life term for double-murder

A court in Fiji Friday sentenced an Indian origin man to life imprisonment for a double-murder committed early last month.

The high court of Labasa in the Macuata province in Fijian island of Vanua Levu sentenced 31-year-old Nilesh Chand to life in jail for the murders of two Indian origin youngsters, Abhishek Kumar, 21, and Samuel Vikas Nand, 17

He will not be eligible to apply for pardon for 25 years.

Another accused, a Fijian named Tevita Dutaboto, has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court again Sep 9, local media reported.

"This accused has taken the lives of two very young men who had never even reached their prime, all in a fit of anger over a relationship that he perceived one of the deceased was having with his niece," judge Paul Madigan was quoted as saying while reading out the verdict.

According to reports, Chand, a farmer, had called Kumar and Nand to a place called Korosomo early July to share beer.

But Chand had reportedly gone with all the intention to kill Abhishek as he did not approve of a romantic relationship the latter had with his niece.

After the families of the two youths reported that they were missing, their bodies were recovered from Korosomo hill.

"The young men did not expect that sharing an evening beer would result in their violent deaths. The accused had in his interview with the police told them that he set out that evening with an intention to end Abhishek's life because of the relationship with the niece," the Fiji Times quoted judge Madigan as saying.