Rtd Indian Army Lieutenant Colonel gets life term for killing his wife, chopping body into pieces

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Feb 26, 2020: A local court in Bhubaneswar sentenced Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Somnath Parida to life imprisonment on Tuesday (February 25) for murdering his wife. The local Khurda court pronounced the quantum of punishment on the basis of the evidence presented by 24 witnesses and the scientific team, Zee reported.

 

The retired Army man, 78, beat his wife Ushasree Samal, 61, to death over a domestic dispute with a steel torch and then chopped her body into 300 pieces. Parida then mixed a chemical on the body parts and hid them in steel and glass tiffin boxes.

The incident took place in 2013.

The murder came to light when the couple’s daughter told her maternal uncle who lived in Bhubaneswar that she was unable to contact her mother. The uncle was not allowed to enter the residence following which he registered a complaint with the police.

The police conducted a search for the missing woman and found her chopped up body parts from different places in their residence. The husband was taken into custody and a chargesheet was filed. He has been lodged in the Jharpada jail since then.

During the hearing, Parida appealed for a reduced sentence which was rejected by the court. His lawyer is now preparing to file an appeal in the High Court.