Auckland, Feb 18 (IANS) An Indian fruit packer was Friday sentenced to life imprisonment by a New Zealand court for killing a woman and her two-year-old daughter.

Deepak Nagpal, 24, who pleaded guilty to both the murders last year, was given life sentence with at least 20 years in jail by Justice Brewer of the Rotura High Court, the New Zealand Herald reported.

On June 4, 2010, Nagpal killed Ravneet Sangha by stabbing her more than hundred times and her daughter Anna several times, before putting the toddler's body in a washing machine in their home in Tauranga city.

Ravneet's body was found two days latter while Anna's body was undiscovered for 20 more hours, despite an intensive search by police.

After Friday's sentencing, Dev Sangha - the husband of Ravneet - burst out of the public gallery and ran up to Nagpal in the dock.

He yelled in Punjabi: "I'll see you in 20 years." He had to be restrained by court staff.

Nagpal had previously lived with the Sangha family and was an associate of Dev.

Dev, 37, who was in India on a business trip at the time of the killings, earlier said he believed money was the motive behind the murder.

Ravneet worked as a fruit packer at Seeka Kiwifruit Industries in Katikati town, 40 km from Tauranga.