Pune man jailed seven years for feeding wife razor‑blade capsules

A Pune sessions court sentenced Somnath Sadhu Sapkal, 45, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for attempting to murder his wife by feeding her capsules that contained pieces of a blade, the court said on October 23. The court also imposed a three‑year term for cruelty under Section 498A, with both sentences to run together, and levied fines of ₹50,000 and ₹20,000 respectively. ## Details Chhaya Sapkal filed a complaint after experiencing stomach pain in October 2023 and later finding a blade fragment in her stool. She reported that her husband gave her capsules claiming they were medicine. On November 8 she was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain; doctors removed a blade piece through an endoscopic procedure. ## Court Findings The prosecution presented seven witnesses, including the complainant, her son, the treating doctor Poonam Mantri, medical shop owner Ganesh Chaudhary and the investigating officer. Evidence showed Sapkal bought Almox 500 capsules and that two steel blade pieces recovered from his home could be bent and placed inside the capsules. The judge noted the pieces could kill and ruled the act as an attempt to murder and cruelty. Sapkal was acquitted of assault charges under Sections 323 and 504 due to insufficient proof. ## Context Criminal attempts to hide weapons in medication are rare, and Section 307 of the IPC carries a heavy penalty because it endangers life. The concurrent sentences reflect the court’s balance between the seriousness of the act and the defendant’s claim of being the family’s sole earner.