16 get life term in murder cases in Odisha

Bhubaneswar/Keonjhar: As many as 16 persons were awarded life imprisonment by two different courts in Odisha today in connection with two separate murder cases.

The court of Additional District Judge, Bhubaneswar held ten persons guilty in the murder of one Sandip Nanda near Ghatikia under Khandagiri police limits in the city in April, 2012 and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

Nanda was thrashed to death by a group of locals with iron rods and sticks on the fateful day on the city outskirts. Acting on a complaint lodged by the family members of the deceased, police had registered a case. During the course of investigation, the ten persons were arrested.

Similarly, the court of Additional District Judge, Champua in Keonjhar district today convicted six persons for murdering 6 members of a family– a couple and their four children– at Lahanda under Joda police limits in the district in July, 2015 and awarded them life imprisonment besides imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 each.

In the case of non-payment of fine, they will have to undergo additional imprisonment of one year. The court also sentenced a woman to three years in jail while acquitting two persons for want of evidence in the case.

On July 13, 2015, several villagers had hacked Gura Munda (35), his wife Budhni Munda (30), two sons Sunil Munda (16) and Kushanath (10) and two daughters Sambhari (12) and Namita (3) to death with sharp weapons, suspecting that the family was practising sorcery.