Bhubaneswar, June 29 (IANS) A local court in Jajpur district on Monday sentenced a man to life imprisonment and his associate to five years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) in connection with a sensational murder case that occurred in Bhubaneswar in 2021.

The case had drawn widespread public attention and received extensive media coverage across Odisha during the COVID period.

As per reports, the deceased, Jharaphula Nayak, was a 21-year-old ex-student at Ramadevi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar.

The convict, identified as Rakesh Swain, was working as a plumber on an irrigation project in the victim Jharaphula’s village during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, he developed a relationship with Jharaphula, and the two remained in regular contact through mobile phone messages.

However, after the victim’s family came to know about their relationship, she ended the relationship with Rakesh. The accused Rakesh, later returned to his workplace in Bhubaneswar. Meanwhile, Jharaphula repeatedly asked Rakesh to repay the money he had borrowed from her to purchase a two-wheeler. According to reports, the same two-wheeler was later used by the accused to dispose of her body after the murder.

On January 26, 2021, the prime accused, Rakesh, allegedly contacted the victim and invited her to an OYO hotel in Bhubaneswar on the pretext of repaying the money he had earlier borrowed from her. Trusting his assurance, Jharaphula went to the hotel to meet him. Subsequently, Rakesh made Jharaphula consume alcohol before smothering her to death with a pillow inside the hotel room.

The accused, with the help of convict Amaresh Rout, later transported Jharaphula’s body to Kuakhia in Jajpur from Bhubaneswar on the scooty and disposed of the body along the road near Mulapala Chowk in Kuakhia police limits in Jajpur district. Her body was recovered by the police on January 27, 2021.

After examining the testimonies of 22 prosecution witnesses, along with the forensic and medical evidence, the court found Rakesh Swain guilty of murder and his associate Amaresh guilty of causing the disappearance of evidence on Monday.

Rakesh was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Amaresh was sentenced to undergo five years’ RI. Special Public Prosecutor S.S. Mohanty conducted the trial on behalf of the prosecution.

–IANS

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