Engineering graduate gets death sentence for murder

A court here today sentenced to death a 28-year old aeronautical engineering graduate, who has also undergone training for working as a pilot, for murdering a pawn broker in the city in 2012 for gain.
"This was such a brutal murder for gain. A murder in cold blood and only a sentence of death would meet the ends of justice and be a deterrent," Poonamallee District and Sessions Judge S Mahalakshmi said in her judgment.
Ramajayam alias Appu, a native of Cuddalore District who completed his BE Degree here and undergone pilot training in Sri Lanka, was also awarded maximum punishment for tresspass (ten years), robbery (ten years), and misappropiration of property (three years) considering the gravity of the offence.

He murdered pawn broker Guna Ram, alias Ganesh, on April 14, 2012 at his shop in Nerkundram here and took away jewelleries. The murder had sent shock waves and pawn brokers protested by downing shutters.
In her judgment, the Judge said this was a case fit for giving death sentence, a "rarest rare case," in keeping with the rulings of High Court and Supreme Court.
Ramajayam had evaded arrest for a month after the murder and also attempted to kill women for gain at Pallikaranai here, the Judge noted.

"If he had managed to escape even after that, he would have continued to commit crimes for gain. Despite his education, he did not live by working and chose crimes instead," she said.

"I concur with the Public Prosecutor Andaman K Murugan that such elements are dangerous to society and there is no scope for him to reform after a prison term," she observed.
Out of the 30 witnesses, one turned hostile. CCTV footages were a crucial part of evidence in this case.
After the murder, Ramajayam mistook imitation jewellery to be genuine and fled the scene with it.
A police official said Ramajayam was apprehended when he tried to cheat women by claiming to give vaccination for swine flue in Pallikaranai in May 2012.
"He tried to kill a woman for gain after gaining access to her house as a health worker. He was however caught and handed over to police. Probe revealed that he was the culprit in the murder of pawn broker too," the official said.