Jharsuguda: The Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ) Court in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district on Friday sentenced five persons to life imprisonment in connection with the death of a 17-year-old college girl in 2017.
The five convicts are Saudamini Jaipuria (30) and Santoshini Jaipuria (31), Sahadev Jaipuria (27), Akshaya Jaipuria (27) and Nabin Bhoi (30).
After examining 47 witnesses and 67 pieces of documentary evidence, the court sentenced all five convicts to life imprisonment. The district legal services authority has also been directed to provide compensation to the victim’s family.
The court, however, acquitted the deceased girl’s parents – Gopal Jaipuria and Asha Jaipuri – due to lack of evidence against them.
The incident took place on March 2, 2017, at Bijapali village under Rengali police limits. The victim, Sanjukta Jaipuria, was first tonsured and later beaten to death with a heavy stone-like object over superstitious beliefs since she was keeping unwell. The girl’s parents claimed that they had called Santoshini and Soudamini, who were practising sorcery, when Sanjukta’s condition worsened and found her body in a room of their house under mysterious circumstances the following morning.
The two accused claimed to have been possessed by lLord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. The two women along with their three accomplices were later arrested.
On March 6, 2017, the Crime Branch took over the investigation and the case was marked “Red Flag”.
