Bhubaneswar: After convicting a woman for murdering a hotelier from Balianta, a court on Wednesday sentenced her to life imprisonment.

Additional District and Sessions Judge-II Bandana Kar pronounced the verdict, holding the accused, Sunki Rana alias Soni, guilty of the crime. The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh. In default of payment, Rana will have to undergo an additional two years of imprisonment.

According to the case, Rana had killed hotelier Biswajit Nayak alias Babu on January 13, 2024, by attacking him with a stone. The two had been in a live-in relationship for around four years.

Investigations revealed Rana planned the murder after Nayak repeatedly pressured her to marry him.

This was not Rana’s first criminal offence. In 2005, she had been sentenced to 12 years in jail for murdering her sister-in-law in Jharsuguda. After her release, she was staying at an ashram in Puri.

During her stay there, she came in contact with Nayak’s mother and began assisting her, which eventually led to her acquaintance with Nayak. Over time, the two developed a relationship.

While Nayak had asked her to leave the ashram and live with him, Rana refused. Tensions escalated further when he expressed his desire to marry her, which she declined, ultimately leading to the fatal incident.