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An Indian court has sentenced 10 policemen to life in prison for killing two New Delhi businessmen in a fake encounter in 1997.
The officers, convicted last week, said they opened fire on the businessmen in self-defence after shots were fired at them wounding a policeman.
But Vinod Kumar, the judge, rejected their claim and handed down the sentences on Wednesday.
Prosecutors said police shot 38 times at Pradeep Goel and Jagjit Singh as they drove through the Connaught Place shopping area in downtown Delhi, mistaking them for gangsters they were chasing.
Prosecutors had demanded the death sentence.
The trial has garnered attention in India where there has been a growing number of cases of police killing unarmed suspects or innocent people, or faking shootouts, in a bid to earn promotions and rewards.
Critics say the killings are consequences of a poorly trained and corrupt police force, that is in collusion with dirty politicians.
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