Graham Staines murder criminal Mahendra Hembram released from Keonjhar prison in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Mahendra Hembram, one of two men who murdered Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in 1999, has been released from Keonjhar Prison in Odisha after 25 years of service. His release was granted based on good conduct.

Hembram, 50, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003 for her role in a triple murder case that shocked the country. His son was arrested in 1999 shortly after he slept in a vehicle in Manoharpur, Odisha in 1999. Of the 14 initially charged, 12 were acquitted. Hembram and Dara Singh (alias Rabindra Pal Singh) were convicted. Singh was initially sentenced to death and later sentenced to life imprisonment by the Odisha High Court in 2005, and the Supreme Court upheld a ruling.

After being released, Hembram spoke to the media, claiming that he was wrongly implicated. Meanwhile, Singh stayed in prison but filed a petition of mercy to the SC and the president in 2024.