Mysuru: The Seventh Additional District and Sessions Court has sentenced a man to undergo life imprisonment for raping and killing a senior citizen. Judge Yeshwanth Kumar pronounced the judgement on Friday.

The convicted is 38-year-old Lakshminarayana Murthy alias Murthy from M. Komarapalayam village in Sathyamangala in Tamil Nadu. He worked as a labourer in Mysuru and used to sleep on footpaths on Sayyaji Rao Road. He was accused of raping and murdering 65-year-old Saliyamma, a resident of RMC Yard on Sept. 2, 2018.

Saliyamma was partially blind and as such, her neighbour Pradeep Kumar used to go to her house every day at 6.30 pm to light a candle. On Sept. 2 that year, Pradeep went to Saliyamma’s house and called her but there was no response. Suspiciously, he entered the house and when he was about to enter one of the rooms, Pradeep saw Murthy rushing out.

Later, Pradeep called his friend Vikram and entered the house while Murthy took to heels. Saliyamma was dead and the Police found that she was raped and strangulated.

Mandi Police registered a case and the then Inspector Ansar Ali had submitted a charge-sheet to the Court. Meanwhile, Murthy, who was on the run, was arrested and all the medical tests, circumstantial evidence and eye-witness accounts nailed Murthy.

Finding Murthy guilty of rape and murder, the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs. 20,000. Public Prosecutor K. Nagaraj had argued for the State.