NUAPADA: The Additional District and Sessions Court, Nuapada on Friday sentenced a 54-year-old man to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his minor nephew, carried out as a human sacrifice in the name of black magic ritual.
The convict, Chintamani Majhi of Jadamunda village within Komna police limits, was found guilty of beheading his 11-year-old nephew Dhansingh Majhi on June 8, 2019.
According to case details, Chintamani lured the unsuspecting child to his farmland on the pretext of cutting down a tree. The convict had earlier performed occult rituals at the site, believing that the sacrifice would bring prosperity to his harvest. As Dhansingh began chopping the tree, Chintamani attacked him from behind with a sharp weapon, beheading him on the spot in a premeditated act of ritual killing.
The crime came to light when villagers discovered the boy’s body. Komna police detained Chintamani the same day and during interrogation, the convict confessed to the murder, stating that the act was a ritual offering locally referred to as ‘Choru’ - a form of human sacrifice made to appease deities before the start of a new cropping season. Subsequently, police registered a case and arrested Chintamani.
After years of legal proceedings, the court concluded that there was ample evidence to convict Chintamani of the crime. The verdict was delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge Sunil Kumar Das.