DIABOLICAL MURDER.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20542, 18 February 1935, Page 1

DIABOLICAL MURDER.

Doctor and Relative Guilty of Richman’s Death. United Press Assn.—By Electric Te 1 eg ra p h—Copyright. CALCUTTA. February 16. India’s most sensational trial ended with sentences of death being passed on Benovendra Pandey and Dr Taranath Bhattacharva, who were convicted of conspiring to murder Amarendra Pandey, a step-brother of Benoyendra, by the injection of deadly germs. Dr Dhar and Dr Sivapada Bhattacharya, similarly charged, were acquitted. Amarendra Pandey was a wealthy man and owner of property which his step-brother would inherit. The prosecutor alleged that the murder had been plotted with diabolical ingenuity. Benoyendra Pandey, aided by doctor friends, unsuccessfully attempted to kill Amarendra by smearing tetanus germs inside his spectacles. The prosecutor alleged that Dr Taranath Bhattaeharva, aided by Dr Sivapada Bhattacharya, then obtained plague baccili from a hospital at Bombay. The germs were injected by a pinprick while Amarendra Pandey was going home in a crowd. Amarendra died. Dr Sivapada Bhattacharya allegedly issued a false certificate, permitting cremation. The Crown suggested that the germs were first tried out on rats and guineapigs.