Bhubaneswar, July 1 -- The Khurda District and Sessions Court awarded life imprisonment to a temple priest on Tuesday for the sexual exploitation and murder of a woman in a case dating back to May 13, 2023. The convict has been identified as Biju Panda.

He reportedly served as the priest of the Shiva temple at Kalarahanga under the Mancheswar police station limits.

According to reports, the deceased woman and her husband had visited the temple as they were unable to conceive a child despite several years of marriage. Exploiting their vulnerability, Panda persuaded the couple that the woman would be blessed with a child if she made a religious vow and stayed with him at the temple.

The couple agreed, the woman then started to live with ...