Bhubaneswar: Seven years after the sensational parcel bomb blast incident in the Patnagarh area of Odisha's Balangir district, the Patnagarh Additional District Judge (ADJ) Court today convicted prime accused Punjilal Meher in the case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The 2018 blast claimed the lives of newlywed Soumya Sekhar and his grandmother Jemamani, while his wife Reema Rani sustained critical injuries. The explosion occurred on February 23, just four days after the couple's wedding, when they opened a parcel disguised as a wedding gift.

Investigators had revealed that Punjilal, a former principal and English lecturer at Jyoti Vikash Junior College in Bhainsa of Balangir district, meticulously planned and executed the crime alone. His motive stemmed from a long-standing grudge against Soumya's mother, Sanjukta, who had replaced him as the college principal. Punjilal was reportedly unwilling to relinquish the post and harboured resentment over the transition.

According to the Odisha Crime Branch, which arrested Punjilal on April 24, 2018, he began planning the murder months in advance. To assemble the bomb, he stealthily collected gunpowder during Diwali, ensuring his actions wouldn't raise suspicion. He crafted a crude explosive and disguised it in a gift box.

To deliver the fatal parcel, Punjilal travelled to Raipur by train, without buying a ticket, to avoid appearing on CCTV cameras at ticket counters. From a courier service centre near the Raipur railway station, he shipped the bomb to the victim’s home in Patnagarh.

In an attempt to mislead investigators, Punjilal sent an anonymous letter to the Balangir Superintendent of Police, falsely suggesting that the blast was the result of a love affair. However, police recovered a deleted file from his pen drive, which matched the contents of the anonymous letter. Forensic analysis confirmed that the letter had been typed on his personal laptop and printed at a local shop.

He was found guilty under Sections 302, 307, and 201 of the IPC, and the Explosive Substances Act.