The Malappuram district sessions court on Friday sentenced a woman and her male friend to life imprisonment, in connection with the murder of Vinod Kumar in 2015.

The court had on Thursday found Vinod’s wife Jaseentha George (Jyothi) and her aid Muhammad Yusuf (Sajid) guilty of the crime.

They were charged for murder, conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

According to reports, the court also slapped a fine of Rs 42,500 each. If the duo fail to pay the fine, they will have to serve an additional four years in prison.

Screengrab/Manorama News

Vinod -owner of a gas agency and a resident of Vrindavan colony in Ernakulam- was hacked to death in his sleep in October last year. Jaceentha who feared that a child born to Vinod from another wife would be entitled to his property, conspired with her friend Muhammad to kill him.

Reports say that there were 32 wounds on his body and that Jaceentha asked Muhammad to cut his throat to make it look like a robbery attempt.

Inconsistency in Jaceentha's statements made to the police is said to have helped the team prove her involvement in the crime.