A Sheopur court sentenced 26-year-old Deepak Pachauri to death on Wednesday for the gruesome murder of his adoptive mother, Usha Devi, in a bid to seize her Rs 32 lakh fixed deposit. Additional Sessions Judge L D Solanki, citing the cultural reverence for mothers, deemed the crime “inexcusable” under Section 302 of the IPC.

Pachauri, adopted from a Gwalior orphanage 20 years ago by Usha Devi and her late husband Bhuvendra, had previously squandered Rs 16.85 lakh of his father’s funds on stock market losses after Bhuvendra’s 2021 death. Targeting Usha’s Rs 32 lakh FD, where he was the sole nominee, Pachauri killed her on May 6, 2024, after she refused to hand over the money. He pushed her down stairs, struck her with an iron rod, and strangled her before concealing her body in a wall under a staircase toilet, using cement and bricks.

Initially filing a missing person report on May 8, Pachauri’s inconsistent statements led to his confession during police interrogation. The body was exhumed, and forensic evidence, including the iron rod, confirmed the crime. The police filed charges under IPC Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (evidence tampering), leading to a swift chargesheet and conviction.

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