Bhubaneswar, Jan 21 (IANS): A local court here on Tuesday sentenced two persons to life imprisonment by holding the duo guilty of killing a betel shop owner in Bhubaneswar in 2022.

The convicts have also been directed by the court to pay Rs 10,000 each as a fine.

The convicts were identified as Ashok Das alias Kabu of Patharabandh Basti and Manoj Das alias Papuni of Dhirikuti Basti in Bhubaneswar. Both the convicts Ashok and Manoj were auto-rickshaw drivers.

The deceased, identified as Soumya Ranjan Kunda, was running a betel shop near the Metro building at Vani Vihar Square under the Saheed Nagar police station area of the city.

Soumya’s brother Sagar Kumar also owns a hotel near the betel shop of his deceased brother.

“The convict autorickshaw drivers used to park their vehicles at an auto stand near the Vani Vihar square. The duo would often extort money from the shop owners in the area. The convicts had also picked a fight with the deceased Soumya when he refused to pay the extortion demanded by the duo. The accused persons were also engaged in a heated argument with the deceased's brother in the latter's hotel a few days before the murder took place. The convicts who harboured a grudge later hatched a plan to kill Soumya,” said the Special public prosecutor, Rashmi Ranjan Brahma.

He further added that the accused duo assaulted Soumya with a sharp weapon near his shop on the intervening night of August 30 and 31, 2022. A seriously injured Soumya was later rushed to the Capital Hospital in the police vehicle.

The doctors at the Capital Hospital later referred Soumya to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar as his health deteriorated further. Soumya succumbed to the injuries while undergoing treatment at the AIIMS hospital.

Based on the complaint of the deceased’s brother, Saheed Nagar police lodged a case and arrested the accused duo from their hideout.

The learned judge after examination of all the statements of 18 witnesses and other exhibits pronounced the judgment on Tuesday.