Bhubaneswar: The Additional District Judge (ADJ) court in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday sentenced Jagannath Pradhan, who shocked the city with the gruesome murder of Priyanka Priyadarshini Sahoo (26) of Bhimatangi Housing Board Colony under Airfield police limits in 2021, to life imprisonment.
According to the prosecution, Pradhan, a native of Badamangalpur in Jajpur district, was in a relationship with Priyanka before her marriage and harboured unrequited feelings. He obsessively wanted her to elope with him. Priyanka, who lived with her husband Rakesh Sahoo and their three-year-old son, reportedly did not reciprocate his advances.
Investigation revealed that Pradhan had meticulously planned the crime several days in advance. On July 5, 2021, after Priyanka’s husband left for work, he entered the house around 10 am armed with two sharp chef’s knives used for cutting meat, poison, a vermilion box, chocolates, and cold drinks. He allegedly attempted to apply sindoor (vermilion) on Priyanka’s forehead before pressuring her to leave her family. When she refused, a heated argument ensued and Pradhan slit her throat, killing her instantly.
He also sent a WhatsApp message to Priyanka’s husband claiming responsibility. He then consumed poison and slashed his wrist in a suicide attempt. Priyanka’s husband and a relative rushed to the scene after receiving the message, broke open the door, and found her body in a pool of blood with the unconscious accused nearby.
Pradhan was rushed to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and later transferred to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and then to AIIMs-Bhubaneswar. After recovery, he was arrested. During interrogation and in his confession, he admitted to the premeditated nature of the crime. Police recovered the murder weapons, a handwritten note, and other evidence.
Additional details from the probe indicated Pradhan had even contemplated harming the child as part of his plan before focusing on the murder-suicide. His family members, including his mother, acknowledged a past relationship with Priyanka that had reportedly ended after her marriage, though contact was reinitiated later. The family further stated that Pradhan, who was working in Bengaluru, had returned to his hometown after the outbreak of the pandemic and was selling Dahi Bara and Aloo Dum in his hometown for livelihood.
Police had submitted a 300-page chargesheet in the state. The trial, spanning several years, concluded with the court convicting Pradhan of murder based on the evidence, confession, and witness accounts.
