Bhubaneswar, April 26: A Jharsuguda court has sentenced five individuals to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of a woman suspected of being under the influence of black magic.
The verdict was delivered by Additional District Judge Subash Chandra Dhal, who also imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on each convict. In default of payment, each will serve an additional six months in prison.
The convicted individuals are Santoshini Jayapuria, Soudamini Jayapuria, Sahadev Jayapuria, Naveen Bhoi, and Akshay Jayapuria.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on March 2, 2017, in Bijapali village under Rengali police station limits, Jharsuguda district. The victim, Yutsa Jayapuria, was allegedly tortured to death by her relatives during a religious ceremony after she was accused of being possessed by an evil spirit.
A "Shiv Guru Puja" was being held at the residence of Dolamani Jayapuria, organized by his daughters, Santoshini and Soudamini. Yutsa attended the puja with her parents and sister, Mamata Jayapuria, who later filed the police complaint.
During the ceremony, Santoshini and Soudamini claimed to be possessed by the spirit of Shiv Guru and accused Yutsa of harboring evil forces. To “cleanse” her, they forcibly shaved her head, stripped her naked, burned her with incense sticks, and beat her severely. The torture escalated as they repeatedly struck her on the head with stone idols of a bull and a trident, resulting in her death.
Following Mamata's complaint, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch due to its sensitive nature. A detailed investigation, led by Inspector Sabita Sahu, resulted in a chargesheet being filed against seven accused on June 28, 2017.
