Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Children’s Court, Panjim, sentenced Arminda Dora Fernandes to undergo life imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh or in default to undergo one-year rigorous imprisonment for the murder of her five-month-old daughter.
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The Court also convicted her under Section 8 (2) of Goa Children’s Act.
The court sentenced her to undergo three years imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh or in default to undergo two years rigorous imprisonment.
During the trial, Arminda pleaded guilty after the prosecution had examined two witnesses.
The victim’s father Sudan Gondlekar was released from custody after the police realised that he was not involved in the murder.
The incident occurred on August 13, 2022 at Chapel Vaddo, Sirsaim when a five-month-old baby was allegedly done to death by her parents using a wooden chakla belan locally known as latni.
It may be recalled that the Colvale Police had identified the deceased baby as five-month-old Jiya Gondlekar and had arrested her parents -32-year-old Arminda Dora Fernandes and 42-year-old Sudan Gondlekar – in this connection.
The Colvale police had filed a 200-page chargesheet in the case and had recorded 27 witnesses in the case before conviction of the accused. The case was investigated by PSI Mandar Parab under the supervision of the then Colvale PI Somnath Majik.
Incident had happened at around 3.30 am when the baby’s parents arrived at the Colvale Police Station with the dead baby which shocked the police. The police team immediately rushed the baby to the North Goa District Hospital, Mapusa where the doctors on duty declared her dead. The couple were staying in a rented room at Sirsaim.
During the incident, the accused’s elder daughter was at her relative’s house. Sudan is a coconut plucker by profession, while Arminda is a housewife. A week after the murder, the accused was taken for mental examination in the Institute of Psychiatry and Human behaviour (IPHB), Bambolim.
