Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has commuted the death sentence of nine persons to life imprisonment in a case involving the murder of three members of a family over suspicion of practising sorcery.

The Rayagada District and Sessions Court had in October 2021 found the nine persons guilty of murdering the family members.

The convicts had moved the High Court challenging the lower court's verdict. While the High Court had reserved its judgment, it delivered its ruling today, converting the death penalty into life imprisonment.

The triple murder incident had taken place at Rayagada’s Kitum village in 2016.

The nine had held the family members-- Asina Sabara, his wife Ambai, and their daughter Asimani-- responsible for the spread of various diseases in the locality and accused the family of practising sorcery.

After killing the trio, the convicts buried the bodies before exhuming them later and setting them on fire to eliminate evidence.

The lower court had held Degunu Sabara, Dasantu Sabara, Dalasa Sabara, Ajanta Sabara, Podantu Sabara, Iru Sabara, Lakia Sabara, Bubuna Sabara, and Maliku Sabara guilty

What happened on the fateful day?

On September 9, 2016, in Kitum village under Putasingh police limits in Rayagada district, Asina Sabara, his wife Ambai Sabara, and their daughter Asimani Sabara were forcibly taken from their house by a group of nine persons. They were dragged to a cowshed and brutally assaulted. After the family members lost consciousness, the attackers inflicted further cruelty by injecting pesticides into their eyes and private parts. The three were then buried.

Later, upon learning that someone had informed the police about the incident, the perpetrators exhumed the bodies during the night and burned them to destroy evidence.