Puri: The Additional District and Sessions Judge Court in Puri has sentenced three individuals to life imprisonment after convicting them in connection with the sensational 2017 murder of advocate Chandan Behera.

The crime occurred on January 8, 2017, near Khusi Hotel in Puri town. Chandan Behera, an advocate and the owner of Sai Kutir Lodge, was brutally murdered in a conspiracy masterminded by his wife, Nibedita Behera, along with several associates.

Following the incident, the Puri Police arrested Nibedita Behera and Narendra Nath Das, also known as Litu. Investigations revealed that the conspiracy to eliminate Chandan had been planned nearly six months prior to the murder.

On January 5, 2017, Nibedita, Litu, Jaga alias Basudev Bhatta, Kapila alias Kapilash Bhoi, and Baraju alias Braja Kishore Bhoi met to finalise the murder plan. A notary agreement was prepared in the presence of Nibedita, naming Litu as the heir to Chandan Behera’s property and the guardian of Nibedita’s children upon Chandan’s death.

On the day of the murder, as Chandan was entering the Sai Kutir Lodge, he was attacked by Jaga and Kalia with sharp weapons. Baraju then severed Chandan’s head, resulting in his death on the spot.

CCTV footage from the lodge showed the accused hiding the murder weapons inside the premises an hour before the attack. Based on this and other evidence, police arrested Nibedita, Litu, lodge employee Kamalakant Das, Jaga’s brother Somanath Bhatta, and Prafulla Behera and Rabindra Behera for providing shelter to the accused, all of whom were later forwarded to the court.