Odia actress Nikita Murder case: Husband Lipan sentenced to life imprisonment

Cuttack: In a major development in the death case of well-known Odia actress Nikita, also known as Laxmipriya Behera, her husband Lipan Sahu has been pronounced of guilty of murdering the actress and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Third Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ) Court in Cuttack on Thursday.

Pronouncing the verdict, the court found Lipan guilty of murdering the actress. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict along with the life imprisonment sentence.

However, in connection with the domestic violence allegations, the court acquitted Lipan’s parents, declaring them not guilty due to a lack of sufficient evidence.

On January 4, 2019, Nikita was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition after she fell from the terrace of an apartment in the Mahanadi Vihar area of Cuttack. However, she succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment.

Her father had suspected foul play in the incident and had filed a complaint against her husband Lipan and his parents that they had murder his faughter by pushing her off the Terrace in order to kill her. In the complaint, Nikita’s family members had alleged that actress was subjected to dowry-related mental and physical harassment after marriage by Lipan Sahu and his parents the actre

Nikita had made a mark in the Odia entertainment industry through films such as ‘Mita Basichi Mu Bhuta Sathire’, ‘Chori Chori’, ‘Mathare Dei Pata Odhani’, and ‘Gunda’. She was also widely known for her roles in popular Odia television serials like ‘SCP Nikita’ and ‘Tapasya’, which earned her recognition in households across Odisha.