Woman gets 7-year jail term for killing man after phone refusal

Belagavi: A 48-year-old woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined Rs 25,000 for fatally stabbing a man who refused to let her use his phone. The convict, identified as Jayashree Pavan Pawar, hails from Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district and resided in BK Kangrali, Belagavi. She was found guilty of murdering 36-year-old Nagaraj Bhimshi Ragipatil.

The incident occurred on the night of April 30, 2023, near Dora Galli Cross on the way to Keerti Hotel, under the jurisdiction of the Market police station. According to the prosecution, Nagaraj was traveling on a motorcycle with a friend when Jayashree stopped them and demanded Nagaraj’s phone to make a call. When he questioned her request, she became enraged, verbally abused him, and stabbed him in the chest with a knife.

Nagaraj was rushed to a government hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The court noted, based on medical evidence, that Jayashree was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack. Following a complaint lodged by Nagaraj’s friend, the Market police registered a case, and Police Inspector Paul Priyakumar led the investigation, culminating in a chargesheet being filed in court.