Aizawl: A Mizoram district court sentenced a 38-year-old woman to 10 years in prison for killing her 13-year-old niece, Catherine T. Biaksiami, as reported by a court official on Thursday.
Chingsianzovi, from Khawzawl town in eastern Mizoram, was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, by Champhai district’s Additional and Sessions Judge, Sylvie Zomuanpuii Ralte. She was also fined an amount of Rs 5,000 and may face an additional year of imprisonment if she fails to pay the fine, the official added.
In February last year, while camping at a farmhouse to gather firewood, Chingsianzovi asked Catherine, her niece, to collect firewood during the day. Upon seeing that the amount collected fell short of her expectations, a heated argument broke out, leading Chingsianzovi to fatally choke her niece with the assistance of a traditional strap called ‘Hnam’ in a fit of rage.
Initially, Chingsianzovi denied the murder, stating that an unidentified man had tried to kidnap Catherine. She said she had captured and tied the suspect with a rope. However, when the police arrived at the crime scene, they discovered Catherine already dead in the farmhouse. Chingsianzovi was then taken into police custody, where she eventually confessed to the crime.
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The prosecution argued that the convict did not intentionally kill her niece but did so by mistake while under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. She was convicted under section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Additionally, she was convicted under section 182 of the IPC for providing false information to the police.
Catherine was an orphan whose father had died a few years ago and she had been living with her aunt, Chingsianzovi, in Khawzawl town.
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