Nuapada: Pronouncing the verdict in a sensational case of sacrificial murder, a local court here Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for beheading his minor nephew in 2019 as part of a black magic ritual for better paddy yield.
Apart from the life sentence, Additional District and Sessions Judge Sunil Kumar Das also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict identified as Chintamani Majhi of Jadamunda village under Komna police limits. In case of default in payment of the penalty amount, he will have to serve an additional three months in prison, the judge said.
According to the case diary, the crime took place August 8, 2019, when Majhi lured his nephew, Dhanasingh Majhi, to a farmland under the pretext of felling a tree. Once he reached there, Majhi attacked the boy from behind with a sharp-edged weapon, beheading him on the spot. Sources said Majhi had previously conducted black magic rituals on the same farmland for better crop yields and then committed the murder as a ‘sacrifice’.
Following the incident, a murder case was registered against Majhi at Komna police station. He was arrested shortly thereafter and remanded to judicial custody. The judgment came after testimonies from 23 witnesses and a detailed review of the police investigation report, Additional Public Prosecutor Kartikeswar Maharana said.
