LUCKNOW: A court in Barabanki has sentenced a man and his paramour to life imprisonment for the murder of the man's wife in a case that initially appeared to be a deadly roadside attack but was later exposed as a meticulously planned conspiracy.The court found Damodar Prasad (38) and his lover Manorani (35), alias Radhika, guilty of murdering Damodar’s wife, Sangeeta Verma, nearly five years ago in the Asandra police station area. In addition to life imprisonment, the court imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each on both convicts. Damodar was also sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000 under the Arms Act.The sentence was pronounced by Additional District & Sessions Judge, Barabanki, Parashu Ram, against Damodar and Manorani under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the IPC.According to the prosecution, Damodar, a resident of Arui village under the Kothi area, approached Asandra police late on the night of June 8, 2021, claiming that unidentified assailants had attacked him and his wife while they were returning home from Barabanki after purchasing medicines.In his complaint, Damodar alleged that as they neared Arui village around 10 pm, attackers travelling in a car and on motorcycles overtook their vehicle and forced it to stop.He claimed that seven villagers, including Sonu Verma, Mahendra Verma and Ranjeet Verma, assaulted him with sticks and rods. During the alleged attack, he said one of the assailants opened fire, and a bullet struck his wife Sangeeta (30) in the chest, killing her on the spot. Damodar maintained that he somehow managed to escape and save his life.Acting on his complaint, police initially registered a case against the named villagers. However, inconsistencies in Damodar’s statements and the absence of evidence supporting his version of events raised suspicion among investigators.The turning point came when Sangeeta’s father, Jayaram, submitted a representation to the Superintendent of Police, expressing doubts about Damodar’s account and demanding a thorough investigation into his role. He alleged that his son-in-law may have been involved in the murder. Also, none of the seven were found to be present at the scene of the crime on the fateful day.During the subsequent investigation, police uncovered evidence suggesting that Damodar was involved in an extramarital relationship with Manorani alias Radhika, a woman from the same village. Investigators began examining the possibility that the murder had been orchestrated to remove Sangeeta from the couple’s lives, said ADGC Mathura Prasad Verma.“Under sustained questioning, Damodar eventually confessed to the crime,” police said. During the investigation, he allegedly admitted that he had shot his wife and fabricated the story of a roadside attack to mislead investigators. Based on his disclosure, police recovered a .315-bore country-made pistol that was allegedly used in the murder, added ADGC Verma.After examining the evidence, witness testimonies, forensic findings and the recovery of the murder weapon, the court held both Damodar and Manorani guilty of criminal conspiracy and murder, Verma added.