Seven Years On, Ex-Odisha Army Doctor Awarded Life Term For Chopping Wife’s Body Into Pieces

Bhubaneswar: Nearly seven years after the brutal murder of his wife inside his house in IRC Village in Nayapalli area of Bhubaneswar, the Khurda District Judge on Tuesday awarded life term to Somnath Parida (78), a retired Army doctor.

Nayapalli Police had arrested Somnath on June 21, 2013.

The incident came to light after Somnath’s wife Ushashri (62) did not respond to her son’s phone calls from the US. While her mobile phone was switched off, there was no response from Somnath either. Left with no option, the son called his uncle Ranjan Samal (Ushashri’s brother) and requested him to visit his parents.

When Samal and other relatives reached Somnath’s residence, he did not allow them to enter and told them that Ushashri had gone to Dubai where their daughter lived. However, the relatives became suspicious after they noticed foul smell from the house and later lodged a complaint in Nayapalli Police Station.

Acting on the complaint, police entered the house by breaking open the door as the doctor did not respond to their call.

The police later found 300 pieces of the body parts of Ushashri in a trunk dipped in preservatives and wrapped in polythene bags while some were kept in casseroles. Police also seized a chopper, knife and two cutters from the spot.

During interrogation, Somnath said he had killed his wife on June 3.

Police later arrested Somnath and registered a case of murder under Section 302 of IPC against him.