The sessions court in Karimnagar on Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of four elderly women for the purpose of robbery during 2011 to 2013.

Additional public prosecutor Sardar Harjeet Singh said the accused Kukatla Komuraiah (50), hailing from Somaram village in Saidapur mandal of Karimnagar district, targeted old women who lived alone for their jewellery.

He searched for potential victims while moving around the villages offering to buy old furniture and utensils.

He would then rent a room in a house where a single old woman lived, stay there for some time and move out. After some days he would return to the house, kill the woman by throttling her and rob her jewellery.

In this way Komuraiah murdered Ammula Mallamma (70) at Peddapur village in 2011, Kadarla Kausalya (85) at Mothe in 2012, Adepu Venkatamma (68) in Sultanabad and Gurram Shyamala (68) in Khanampalli village in 2013.

Judge D Suresh convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment for each murder. All the sentences shall run concurrently, the judge said.