Bhubaneswar: A 25-year-old youth and his parents were sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Angul district of Odisha in connection with a dowry death case today.

Angul Additional District Sessions Judge Ranjita Jyotisi also imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 each on convict Bikram Rout and his parents—Prafulla Rout (50) and Bilash Rout (47). Non-payment of the penalty amount would invite one year’s additional jail terms for the convict, said Additional Public Prosecutor Tapas Ranjan Mishra.

According to the case records, Bikram Rout of Joragadia village under Banarpal police limits in Angul had abducted Swarnaprava Parida of Kantio Putasahi in Dhenkanal district on July 9, 2019.

Swarnaprava’s wedding was scheduled to be held with another person on July 10, 2019.

However, Bikram had tied the knot with Swarnaprava at a temple in Angul on July 15, 2019.

Soon after their wedding, Bikram and his parents had started torturing Swarnaprava by seeking Rs 5 lakh and other household goods as dowry from her family.

Swarnaprava was strangled to death by Bikram and other members of his family on February 1, 2020.

Banarpal police had registered a case in this regard as per a complaint lodged by Swarnaprava’s father Ananta Charan Parida. Subsequently, Bikram and his parents were arrested by the police.