Jharaphula Murder Case: Odisha court sentences prime accused to life & aide gets 5 years

Jajpur: In a verdict that brings long-awaited closure to a chilling 2021 murder case that shocked the State, an Additional District Sessions Judge in Jajpur district on Monday sentenced Rakesh Kumar Swain to life imprisonment for the murder of 21-year-old Jharaphula Nayak, a Plus III student at Rama Devi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Swain, with an additional year of imprisonment in case of default. Swain’s aide, Amaresh Rout, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in destroying evidence and assisting in the disposal of the victim’s body.

Jharaphula Nayak, a resident of Maundeipasi village in Mayurbhanj district’s Jashipur area, was found dead on the roadside at Mulapala near Kuakhia in Jajpur district on January 27, 2021. What initially appeared as a mysterious death, it quickly unravelled into a premeditated murder plot.

According to police investigation, Rakesh had borrowed around Rs 30,000 from Jharaphula to buy a motorcycle. During her visit to Bhubaneswar on January 24 for a family celebration, she reportedly pressured him to repay the amount and threatened to inform his family. Enraged, Swain, with assistance from Shakti Sekhar Swain, allegedly planned her murder.

On January 26, Swain lured Jharaphula to a hotel at Dharma Vihar in Bhubaneswar under the pretext of returning the money. The duo checked into Room No. 201. Police said Swain forced her to consume alcohol, and once she was unconscious, he strangled her to death. Forensic evidence, including viscera reports confirming alcohol, supported this sequence.

Early the next morning, around 7 am, Swain called his aide. The duo transported her body on a scooter from Bhubaneswar to Jajpur, a distance of nearly 100 km, and dumped it by the roadside near Mulapala Square before fleeing. CCTV footage capturing the duo on the scooter with the body played a crucial role in cracking the case.

Rakesh was arrested just two days after the body was recovered. Amaresh was nabbed on April 11, 2021, while Shakti Sekhar Swain was arrested later in a joint operation by Commissionrate Police and Jajpur Police. A fourth individual linked to booking the room was also reportedly involved in the broader investigation.

The trial, which examined at least 22 witnesses, relied heavily on forensic evidence, mobile phone records, and other circumstantial proof collected by Jajpur police. These elements firmly established Swain’s direct role in the murder and the complicity of his associates.