US EditionOdisha: Indian Teacher Gets Life Sentence for Deadly 'Wedding Bomb' Murders
- Punjilal Meher, a 56-year-old former college principal from Odisha, received a life sentence in 2025 for a 2018 parcel bomb attack in Patnagarh that killed newlywed Soumya Sekhar Sahu and his 85-year-old great aunt.
- Investigations revealed Meher's motive stemmed from professional jealousy after Soumya’s mother replaced him as principal, prompting him to plan the attack meticulously.
- Meher sent a makeshift explosive device concealed within a package intended to resemble a wedding present, which was shipped from Raipur, more than 230 kilometers away. When Soumya’s wife, Reema, opened the parcel, it detonated, causing her severe injuries.
- The court characterized the offense as particularly egregious but opted against imposing the death sentence, highlighting the permanent suffering endured by Reema and the tragic deaths of two harmless victims in a carefully orchestrated assault.
- The verdict concludes a seven-year case that provoked public concern over parcel safety, targeted violence, and ongoing discussions on preventive security measures in India.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Just a few days after her wedding, the husband and his aunt died when they opened the package. The killer even went to their funeral.
Newlywed groom killed by parcel bomb disguised as wedding present - The Mirror
A groom was shockingly killed by a bomb that was disguised as a wedding gift, just 5 days after he was married, and a man has finally been found guilty 7 years after the crime that shocked India
Former Teacher In India Jailed For Life Over Wedding Bomb
NEW DELHI – A former college teacher from Odisha, eastern India, has received a life sentence for sending a parcel bomb that killed a newly married man and his great aunt in 2018. Punjilal Meher, 56, was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and using explosives in a case that drew national attention, often […] The post Former Teacher in India Jailed for Life Over Wedding Bomb first appeared on CTN News-Chiang Rai Times.
Teacher, 56, sentenced to life in prison 7 years after killing newlywed groom and his aunt with parcel bomb, disguised as wedding present, 5 days after victim’s wedding
In Feb. 2018 a newlywed groom in Odisha, India, was killed five days after his wedding, bye blast of a parcel bomb sent to his home disguised as wedding present The groom, Soumya Sekhar Sahu, 26, opened the parcel with his new wife Reema, 22, but the explosion killed him and his 85-year-old great aunt…
A tragic event that shook India on February 23, 2018 has reached its judicial outcome. Soumya Sekhar Sahu (26), a newly married engineer, died with his great aunt (85 years old) after receiving an apparently harmless wedding gift package. The explosion, which also seriously injured his wife Reema (then 22 years old), uncovered a meticulous crime that put dozens of agents to work for months. Now, the perpetrator of the attack, Punjilal Meher, has…
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