Nitish Katara murder case: Gangster convicted

Gangster Sukhdev Pehalwan, who had helped former Rajya Sabha member D P Yadav's son Vikas Yadav and nephew Vishal Yadav in abducting and killing Nitish Katara in 2002 for allegedly being friendly to their sister, was convicted on Wednesday for murder and kidnapping by a Delhi court.

Additional Sessions Judge J R Aryan held Pehalwan -- whose trial had been held separately after he jumped bail -- guilty of destroying evidence. His trial was conducted separately after his arrest in 2005.

The court said it will hear arguments on the quantum of sentence for Pehalwan on Thursday.

The court said that Pehalwan was with Vikas and Vishal Yadav during the murder.

Vikas and Vishal were earlier awarded rigorous life imprisonment for their role in the murder of Nitish, a business executive and the son of an IAS officer.

According to the prosecution, Pehalwan was present with the Yadavs in their car after they abducted Nitish from a marriage function at Ghaziabad and killed him on the night of February 16, 2002.

He was chargesheeted in April 2006 for committing the penal offences of murder, abduction and destruction of evidence.

The Yadavs did not approve of their sister Bharti Yadav's affair with Nitish.