Husband sentenced to life imprisonment for 2018 murder of Jowai school teacher

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 3, 2025

After six years and four months, the murderer of a woman school teacher in her late twenties was finally found guilty and convicted to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 5000. The Court recommended compensation of Rs. 6 lakh for the three children of the victim.

The murderer was nobody but the woman’s own husband who even slit his own throat to portray that his wife was murdered by an unidentified assailant(s) and also attacked while he was trying to defend his wife.

The murderer is no other than Shwamiki Law who slained his wife Daphibanker Phawa at their rented residence owned by the mother of the husband in Riatsiatsim, Iawmusiang, Jowai along Jowai Amlarem Dawki Road on October 11, 2018.

Phawa who was a school teacher and her husband had three children.  Phawa was asleep when her husband attacked and slit her throat with probably a Khasi knife. The husband turned murderer then slit his throat and seemingly to cause only minor injury and rushed to his parents’ home and informed them that some assailants entered his house and murdered his wife and injured him as well. Shwamiki was admitted to Dr Norman Tunnel Hospital Jowai for treatment.

Shwamiki’s father lodged an FIR against unknown assailants and the case was registered vide Jowai PS Case no. 231 (10) 18 u/s 307/302 IPC and the case was entrusted to Woman Police Sub Inspector (WPSI) I Kharpran.

Shwamiki’s plans failed due to the in-depth and systematic investigation by the Meghalaya Police who unearthed his heinous ploy and took him to task. The case was chargesheet and went to trial.

The Court of District and Session Judge N A Khan found Shwamiki guilty and punished him with life imprisonment for the murder of his wife.