BERHAMPUR: The additional district and sessions court of Ganjam on Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for kidnapping and killing a one-year-old boy in 2014. The court found 40-year-old Sridhar Mohapatra guilty and convicted him. Additional district judge Indu Sharma pronounced the verdict after examining seven witnesses and police chargesheet. A fine of Rs 10,000 was also slapped on Sridhar and an additional jail term of one year if he fails to pay.
Additional public prosecutor Gyanendranath Jena said on June 24, 2014, Sridhar had kidnapped the boy while he was sleeping with his parents Kaira Patra and Gayatri in their house at Kukudakhandi village within Berhampur Sadar police limits. Later, he demanded a ransom of Rs 10 lakh to return the toddler.
However, before Kaira could arrange the sum, the boy died as he was reportedly sick. Siria then packed the body in a suitcase and hid it under a bush near the MKCG MCH premises. He, however, did not disclose the matter to the boy’s father and continued demanding money. Meanwhile, Kaira took the matter to police and Sridhar was later arrested. During interrogation, he confessed to the offence and took police to the spot where he had dumped the boy’s body.