Bhubaneswar: A local court here Wednesday awarded life imprisonment to a man after holding him guilty of killing a woman under Nayapalli police limits in the City in 2017. Additional Sessions Judge Sasmita Parhi also slapped a penalty of Rs 20,000 on the convict, Dambarudhar Das. Failure to pay the penalty would entail one year of rigorous imprisonment (RI), Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Pradipta Kumar Mishra said.
According to the prosecution, Dambarudhar was having a one-sided love affair with Puspanjali Mohapatra, a resident of Tarini slum under Nayapalli police limits in the City. “On many occasions, Dambarudhar forced Puspanjali, a mother of two children, to elope with him so as to start a new life. However, she declined,” the APP said. Mishra said the incident took place July 7, 2017. “On fateful day, an infuriated Dambarudhar barged into Puspanjali’s house and found her in the washroom and her children playing nearby. After sending the kids to play in the courtyard, Dambarudhar poured petrol on Puspanjali and set her on fire,” Mishra said, adding that Dambarudhar managed to flee the scene. Soon, Puspanjali was rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, where she succumbed to burns five days later, Mishra said.
DEBADURLLAV HARICHANDAN, OP
