Jajpur: A court Monday sentenced a 29-year-old man to life imprisonment for murdering his girlfriend, a university student, five years ago.
The Jajpur Additional District and Sessions Judge, Biswseswar Biswa Prakash Ray, awarded life imprisonment to Rakesh Kumar Swain and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh, said a government counsel.
The court also sentenced Swain’s aide, Amaresh Rout, to five years’ imprisonment for assisting the prime accused in destroying evidence. The verdict came after a lengthy trial that examined witness testimony and police evidence. The court acquitted another accused, Shakti Sekhar Swain, in the case.
Special Public Prosecutor Sitanshu Sekhar Mohanty said based on the evidence collected and the testimonies of 22 witnesses examined during the trial, the court convicted Swain of the murder and his aide Rout for assisting the convict in destroying evidence.
The court also directed the Jajpur district legal cell authority to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to the parents of the deceased, Mohanty said.
According to the prosecution, Jharaphula Nayak (21), a resident of Maundeipasi village under Jashipur police limits in Mayurbhanj district, was found dead by the roadside at Mulapala chhak under Kuakhia police limits in Jajpur January 27, 2021.
A bag was found near the body. Police identified the young woman’s body as Jharaphula after getting details of the items found in the bag, it said.
During the investigation, police gathered evidence alleging that Swain had killed Jharaphula in the hotel in Bhubaneswar January 26, 2021. Later, Rakesh, with the help of another aide, Rout, carried the woman’s body on a two-wheeler from Bhubaneswar and dumped it at a roadside near Mulapala chhak.
Police cracked the case using CCTV footage from the area where the deceased’s body was dumped and mobile data, exposing the sequence of events. Police had arrested three persons: Rakesh Kumar Swain, Amaresh Rout and Shakti Sekhar Swain.
