BARIPADA: A 41-year-old man was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life by a court in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on Thursday for killing a tribal woman more than three years ago, suspecting her to be practising witchcraft.
Mayurbhanj District and Sessions Judge Sajay Ranjan Bahidar, while holding Ruhia Majhi, also a tribal of village Naranpur, guilty of murder, also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000.
The court further said that the convict will have to undergo jail term for an additional one year in the event of failure to pay the fine.
As per the prosecution, he had killed Dulari Majhi (55) of the same village on January 30, 2017 on the suspicion that she was practising witchcraft that caused ailments among his family members.
Ruhia confessed to the crime during interrogation by the police, said Public Prosecutor Sasmita Mohapatra.