A man was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district today for killing a woman suspecting her to be a witch.
Additional District Judge, Baripada, Asanta Kumar Das held Prafulla Santara, a tribal of Badabhalia village, guilty for killing Jhunumani Santara (25) of the same village on October 6, 2011.
Besides pronouncing life term, the court also imposed Rs 1,000 fine on the convict and ruled that in the event of failure to pay the fine, he would have to undergo rigorous imprisonment for another six years.
According to prosecution, Prafulla had beaten Jhunumani to death with a stick as he suspected that she was practising witchcraft that led to ailments in his family.
Altogether 19 persons had deposed before the court as witness in connection with the case.
