Ghaziabad, May 19 (PTI) A special CBI court here has awarded death sentence to the prime accused in the Nithari murders Surinder Koli for raping and murdering a woman.

Judge Rakesh Tripathi awarded seven years imprisonment to Koli's employer -- businessman Moninder Singh Pandher -- in the case linked to the murders that rocked the country.

Also Read | Anurag Thakur: India Set to Add 30 Crore More OTT Users.

The court imposed a fine of Rs 62 thousand on Koli and Rs 4 thousand on Pandher.

Special CBI public prosecutor Darshan Lal said the agency has produced 83 witnesses before the court and their statements have been recorded.

Also Read | Delhi University Asks 32 Colleges to Expedite Appointment of Regular Principals.

On the basis of evidence, Koli has been held guilty of killing, raping, hatching a conspiracy and destroying proof of crime while Pandher was accused of immoral trafficking. PTI COR

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)