Thiruvananthapuram | A court in Nedumangad here on Friday sentenced seven persons to life imprisonment for the murder of a 19-year-old man at Kannanmoola in 2016.

Nedumangad SC/ST Special Court Judge A Shajahan sentenced Arun alias Paratta Arun, Lallu, Rajesh alias Poocha Rajesh, Sanalkumar alias Sanju, Vijesh alias Vishnu, Manu alias Shetty Manu and Sreenath alias Bolji to life imprisonment.

The accused were found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The court acquitted Dini Babu, Jayan, Ajees, Unnikrishnan Nair and Dileep.

The eighth accused, Suresh alias Ashir, was also found guilty, but the sentence was not pronounced as he had died.

Vishnu was murdered on October 7, 2016, after the accused allegedly broke into his house following a fallout between two criminal gangs led by Puthenpalam Rajesh and Dini Babu.

Vishnu was allegedly targeted because he was close to Puthenpalam Rajesh, who was allegedly involved in the murder of Dini Babu's brother, Suni Babu, in December 2015.

Vishnu's parents, Anil Kumar and Bindu, and his aunt Laila sustained serious injuries in the attack.

The case was initially investigated by Pettah police and later handed over to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Shangumugham.

Following lapses in the investigation, another Assistant Commissioner took over the probe and a revised chargesheet was filed.

During the trial, the prosecution produced 48 witnesses, 144 material objects and six documents before the court.

Vishnu's cousin Adithyan, who was seven years old when he witnessed the murder, testified before the court.