Kolkata, Aug 26 (IANS): A fast track court in West Bengal's Bankura district has sentenced Bhopal resident Udayan Das to life imprisonment for the murder of 28-year-old Akanksha Sharma in 2016.

After murdering Akanksha, Das had put her body into a metal box and concrete was poured over it. The body was recovered from Das's place at Saket Nagar in Bhopal. A resident of Bankura's Rabindra Sarani locality, Akanksha came in touch with Das via social media, police sources said.

"The fast track court has sentenced him to life imprisonment under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He has also been fined Rs 20,000. If he fails to pay, he will have to spend six more months in jail," Public Prosecutor Arun Chatterjee told the media outside the court.

According to police sources, Das had allegedly killed both his parents in Madhya Pradesh before murdering Akanksha Sharma.

The family members of Akanksha, however, said they would appeal to the higher court demanding the death sentence for the convict.

Police said Akanksha had left her Bankura home on June 23, 2016 following a fake appointment letter given by Das. She went to Das' place at Saket Nagar in Bhopal and realised that the offer letter was fake. Police investigation had revealed that the 28-year-old Bankura girl was choked to death on July 15, 2016.

Das, however, continued to mislead Akanksha's parents by sending Whatsapp messages. As the family members of Akanksha could not connect with their daughter for a long time, they had finally lodged a missing report with the Bankura Sadar police station on December 5, 2016, police sources said.

On January 5, 2017 they had lodged another complaint against Udayan Das for allegedly abducting their daughter. On February 1, 2017 sleuths of the West Bengal police had arrested Das from Bhopal and found Akanksha's mortal remains at his place.

The chargesheet in the murder case was filed by the Bankura police within three months, police said.