Husband, paramour sentenced to life for woman’s murder

Lucknow: A court in Barabanki has sentenced a man and his paramour to life imprisonment for the murder of the man’s wife in a case that initially appeared to be a deadly roadside attack but was later exposed as a meticulously planned conspiracy.The court found Damodar Prasad, 38, and his lover Manorani, 35, alias Radhika guilty of murdering Damodar’s wife, Sangeeta Verma, nearly five years ago in the Asandra police station area.The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each on both convicts. Damodar was also sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000 under the Arms Act.The sentence was pronounced by Additional District & Sessions Judge, Barabanki, Parashu Ram.According to the prosecution, Damodar approached police late on the night of June 8, 2021, claiming that unidentified assailants had attacked him and his wife while they were returning home from Barabanki after purchasing medicines.In his complaint, Damodar alleged that attackers travelling in a car and on motorcycles overtook their vehicle and forced it to stop.He claimed that seven villagers assaulted him with sticks and rods, and one of the assailants opened fire, and a bullet struck his wife Sangeeta, 30, in the chest, killing her on the spot. Acting on his complaint, police initially registered a case against the named villagers. However, inconsistencies in Damodar’s statements raised suspicion among investigators.Later, Sangeeta’s father, Jayaram, alleged that his son-in-law may have been involved in the murder.During the subsequent investigation, police uncovered evidence suggesting that Damodar was involved in an extramarital relationship with Manorani alias Radhika. Investigators began examining the possibility that the murder had been orchestrated to remove Sangeeta from the couple’s lives, said ADGC Mathura Prasad Verma.“Damodar eventually confessed to the crime,” added ADGC Verma.