Bhadrak: A court in Odisha's Bhadrak district today sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his wife and minor son in 2018.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Prabhat Kumar Rajguru on Monday convicted Abhaya Majhi alias Kalia of Sahapur village under Dhusuri police limits in connection with the double murder case.

According to the prosecution, Padmabati of Nandapur village under Dhusuri police limits had married Kalia in 2012. The couple had two children. Kalia was employed at a private company in Chennai, where he lost one of his palms in a machine accident. He later received compensation of Rs 4.5 lakh from the company and returned home as he was unable to continue working.

On February 24, 2018, a dispute broke out between the husband and wife over household expenses. Kalia, enraged during the altercation, strangled his wife using a plastic rope. He then allegedly strangled his minor son, Jiban Majhi, when the child started crying.

To conceal the crime, Kalia buried the bodies of his wife and son inside a pit dug in the bedroom of his house on the same night.

Six days later, he took his daughter to his in-laws' house and claimed that his wife had left home without informing anyone. Suspecting foul play, Padmabati's father lodged a complaint at the Dhusuri police station.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case and began an investigation. During interrogation, Kalia confessed to the crime in the presence of a magistrate.