Bhubaneswar, Aug 2 (IANS): A court here on Thursday handed death sentence to a person for killing his wife and seriously injuring 6-year-old daughter by slitting her throat following a dispute with his spouse over monetary issues. The incident took place in Bharatpur area of Bhubaneswar in 2022.

The convict identified as Sanjeet Das a.k.a Banku is a resident of Ghatikia area in Bhubaneswar.

"A jobless Sanjeet depended on the income of his deceased wife, Saraswati who used to work as a head nurse in a nearby private hospital. The couple would often engage in a fight over monetary issues. Meanwhile, Sanjeet was further worried after the birth of their second daughter just four days before the day on which the crime took place," a police source said.

On June 9, 2022, Sanjeet and Saraswati again entered into a heated argument and in a fit of rage Sanjeet stabbed his wife with a sharp weapon multiple times, causing her death.

He also slit the throat of his six-year-old daughter before fleeing the crime scene. The girl recovered from the injury after fighting for her life for more than two months.

Based on the complaint lodged by the deceased’s brother, the Bharatpur police registered a case and arrested the accused from a liquor shop near his residence.

The court after examining the statements of 15 witnesses and 57 exhibits pronounced the judgment. Considering the brutal murder of his own wife and the attempt to kill his innocent daughter by Sanjeet as a rarest of rare crime, the court on Thursday awarded him the death sentence.