Five years after the murder of his wife in Fatehpur, a 30-year-old Bhojpuri short-film director and scriptwriter and his alleged actress girlfriend were sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday.The victim, Yogmaya Lodhi, 25, who objected to her husband’s extramarital affair, was found with her throat slit at her in-laws’ home in Gulariyapur village in December 2021. Yogmaya died around seven years after her marriage to Indra Mohan Lodhi.On October 30, a local court in Fatehpur convicted Lodhi, 30, and his alleged girlfriend Neha Verma, 24, for the murder, following which they were taken into custody. The two were brought to the court as it had fixed Friday to pronounce the sentence.“The court sentenced both convicts to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each. It directed that the fine be transferred to the bank account of Yogmaya’s minor son (now 6 years),” said Additional District Government Counsel, Fatehpur, Ravi Datt Dwivedi.Also read | UP man ties wife to chair, burns her alive. He suspected an affairObserving that no amount of money could make up for the loss of his mother, the court said the compensation awarded would not be sufficient to address the child’s needs, said Dwivedi, adding that “therefore the court recommended that the state government provide him additional compensation. The court also asked the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, Fatehpur, to take necessary steps to ensure that adequate compensation was provided to the child.”Defence counsel Arjun Singh said, “Some time before the incident, Indra Mohan had approached Neha Verma after watching her performance in a short film and offered her a role in one of his productions. Neha is also a singer.” He added that Indra Mohan was shooting a short film in his village at the time of the incident, and Neha was staying at his house as she had been cast in the film.“We will challenge the verdict before a higher court,” Singh said.Story continues below this adYogmaya’s brother Satya Prakash, a resident of Sultanpur village in Fatehpur, lodged a complaint at Khaga police station accusing Indra Mohan and his friend Neha Verma of murdering his sister. The couple got married on February 10, 2015.Her family had spent a considerable amount on the wedding and given substantial dowry, he said.However, soon after the marriage, Indra Mohan began demanding additional dowry and harassing Yogmaya, stated the complainant.“Whenever she visited her parental home, she would break down while recounting the harassment and repeated demands for money. Her family tried to reassure her that things would eventually improve. They also attempted to counsel Indra Mohan, but he continued to harass her and press for more dowry,” the complainant alleged.Story continues below this adMeanwhile, Indra Mohan came in contact with Neha Verma, a native of Maharajganj district, through their association with the short-film industry, and the two later developed an intimate relationship, the complainant alleged.Satya Prakash told police that on the night of December 25, 2021, Indra Mohan allegedly slit Yogmaya’s throat with a sharp-edged weapon, killing her at his residence. The two were arrested a few days later and sent to jail.