Berhampur: A local court Thursday sentenced three siblings to life imprisonment after convicting them for killing their cousin in 2023 over a property dispute at Basudevpur village under Patapur police limits in Ganjam district. The convicts were identified as Budu, 35, Santosh, 32, and Mithun, 30, alias Landa, sons of late Prakash Pradhan. The victim was their cousin Kulu Pradhan, 28, son of their elder paternal uncle late Kansa Pradhan. Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ-1) Indu Sharma pronounced the verdict after examining the statements of 12 witnesses and the police chargesheet, Public Prosecutor Trilochan Parida said. The judge also slapped a penalty of Rs 1,000 each on the three convicts. In default, they have to undergo an additional year of rigorous imprisonment (RI), the judge observed while delivering the order.
On the other hand, the judge acquitted the siblings’ mother Ahalya Pradhan, 57, Budu’s wife Kaberi Pradhan, 22, and Santosh’s wife Pinky Pradhan (20) for want of sufficient evidence. According to the case diary, the two families were not on good terms as the convict Budu was at loggerheads with the victim Kulu over sharing of paternal properties. The incident occurred when a truck was unloading bricks for house construction in the backyard of Kulu Pradhan July 28 in 2023. Some of the bricks fell down during unloading following which some plants on Budu’s side of the property were destroyed. An angered Budu and his siblings picked a fight with Kulu. After their neighbours intervened, they relented and went back to their house.
However, the siblings later ganged up and again squabbled with Kulu when he was standing outside his house at around 9pm. They quarreled with him and launched an organised attack on him with weapons like axe, crowbar and wooden planks. Profusely bleeding, Kulu succumbed to his injuries. Patapur police registered a case and arrested the three siblings after Kulu’s elder brother Santosh Pradhan complained to the police station.