A man was given the death penalty by a judge in the Nayagarh district of Odisha on Friday for the 2019 murders of two people, one of whom was an elderly woman, in the Odagaon area of the district.
Niranjan Mallik of Kushadhipa village in the Nayagarh district was named as the prisoner.

According to an official, Niranjan used to commit violent crimes against women in his village and other surrounding areas because he was addicted to alcohol and other psychotropic substances.

“On January 17, 2019, Niranjan killed Badani Pradhan, a 70-year-old woman, inside her home, and Lochan Sethi, a night watchman who was on duty at the Odagaon vegetable market. The attack caused severe injuries to three more people, including the daughter of the deceased Pradhan, according to Indubhushan Mishra, the additional public prosecutor for Odagaon.

Mr. Mishra went on to say that the court declared Niranjan guilty and sentenced him to death after reviewing the testimony of 27 witnesses and additional exhibits. The court has also ordered the convict to deposit a ₹ 50,000 fine.

The family members of the deceased have been ordered by the court to receive ₹ 5 lakh in financial compensation each from the officials of the Nayagarh District Legal Services Authority.

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