Keonjhar: A local court has sentenced a tribal man to life imprisonment for killing an alleged sorcerer five years ago.

Additional district and sessions judge Biswajeet Mohanty of Anandapur, while pronouncing the jail term for Chunu Tudu for murdering Lipu Tudu at Tangiriapala village in Ghashipura police limits on August 5, 2013, also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on him. In case of the failure to pay the penalty, Tudu would have to undergo an additional jail term for six months.

The court also awarded two-year rigorous imprisonment to Chunu's son Bheem in abetting to the murder.

The prosecution case dated back to August 5, 2013 when Chunu had called Lipu to his house during the night on the pretext that his son was sick and needed to be cured by the alleged sorcerer.

Tudu had suspected him to be a witchcraft practitioner and he was of the belief that the alleged sorcerer had cast evil spirit on his family.

As a result, his family members were often falling sick. Chunu hacked to death the alleged sorcerer with his son Bheem assisting him in committing the crime, according to case records.

The court pronounced the verdict after examining 14 witnesses and other evidences, said prosecution counsel Mahendra Moahapatra.