Bhubaneswar, Dec 7 (IANS): A court in Odisha on Thursday sentenced a person to life imprisonment for killing a youth over past enmity in the Narayan Basti area of Bhubaneswar in September 2022, an official said.

The convict, identified as Kanha Nayak, is a native of Ganjam district.

He, along with his wife and co-accused Ranju Nayak, had been staying at Narayan Basti in the city for the last two years. Kanha and his wife had beaten one P. Subrat Rao a.k.a. Chandu to death over previous enmity on September 9, 2022.

Based on the complaint of the deceased's brother, P. Shivananda Rao, the police launched a probe into the matter.

The couple was later apprehended by police from their native village in Ganjam on September 14, 2022.

The police submitted the charge sheet against the couple following the completion of a probe on January 9, 2023.

The court, after examining the statements of witnesses and exhibits, sentenced Kahna to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and also ordered him to deposit Rs 50,000 as a fine.

If the convict fails to pay the fine, he will serve additional imprisonment for one year.

"Meanwhile, Kanha's wife, who managed to secure bail from the high court recently, did not appear in court and therefore, the judgment could not be pronounced against Ranju," said Additional Public Prosecutor Salila Kumar Pradhan.