A court in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram on Monday sentenced a 24-year-old woman to death for poisoning and murdering her partner in October 2022, reported The Indian Express.

The woman, Greeshma, was on Friday convicted of murdering Sharon Raj.

Her maternal uncle, Nirmalakumaran Nair, was also found guilty of destroying evidence and providing false information to protect an offender, under the Indian Penal Code section 201. Nair was sentenced to three years in jail.

Greeshma’s mother, Sindhu, also accused of involvement in the crime, was acquitted as the prosecution failed to prove charges against her, reported The Hindu.

The prosecution contended that Greeshma’s family, in March 2022, arranged for her to marry a military officer despite her relationship with Raj. Greeshma allegedly plotted the murder because Raj had refused to end the relationship after her engagement.

According to the police, Greeshma told them that she had wanted to end her relationship with Raj and had asked him to delete intimate photos and videos. She expressed fear that Raj would share them with her fiancee.

Greeshma allegedly attempted to poison Raj by mixing painkillers in his water and juice.

After several failed attempts, she invited Raj to her home in Ramavarmanchirai, Kanniyakumari, on October 14, 2022, and served him an Ayurvedic drink laced with paraquat, a potent herbicide.

After leaving her home, Raj fell ill and vomited several times. He was hospitalised and died of multiple organ failure on October 25, 2022.

Before he died, Raj suspected that Greeshma had poisoned him and told a friend that she had cheated on him. His family later filed a police complaint.

Greeshma was arrested on October 31, 2022, and granted bail in September 2023. Her mother and uncle were also arrested on charges of abetting the crime and destroying evidence.

The case was registered under sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to kidnapping or abduction with the intent to murder (364), causing hurt by poison (28), murder (302), causing disappearance of evidence and giving false evidence to screen offender (201), giving false information (203) and criminal act done in furtherance of common intention (34).