Berhampur: A local court in Kodala, Ganjam district, on Tuesday sentenced a 25-year-old man to life imprisonment for murdering his wife by setting her on fire over dowry demands and domestic disputes in 2022. Additional district judge Biswaranjan Behera convicted Suddam Hussein Khan of Budhaamba village under Kabisuryanagar police limits for the murder of his wife Sinima Bibi (28).Bibi was set on fire on Oct 11, 2022, around eight years after their marriage, and she succumbed to her burn injuries at a hospital in Khurda on Dec 23, 2022.The court, however, acquitted the convict’s mother and two sisters, who were also named in the case, citing lack of evidence. “The court delivered the verdict after examining 21 witnesses, including police personnel, and scrutinising documentary evidence,” additional public prosecutor Rashmi Rani Balabantaray said.According to the prosecution, on the night of Oct 11, 2022, Khan allegedly poured kerosene on Bibi and set her ablaze. She was initially taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to a private healthcare facility before being referred to a hospital in Khurda, where she died.While the co-accused were out on bail during the trial, Khan remained in judicial custody, the prosecutor said.
