Early release for Graham Staines murder convict for 'good conduct'

Dara's aide was sentenced to life imprisonment for burning alive Staines and his two sons

- ASISH MEHTA & DEBASHIS MISHRA @Bhubaneswar/Keonjhar

MAHENDRA HEMBRAM, an aide of Dara Singh and co-convict in the brutal killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons in 1999, has secured early release from prison.

Hembram was sentenced to life imprisonment but granted premature release following a decision by the State Sentence Review Board on ground of good conduct. He walked out of the Keonjhar jail on Wednesday after being accorded a farewell by jail officials.

The State Sentence Review Board had sent the recommendation for his early release to the Odisha government in November last year, following which the Home department reviewed the case. The Home department had forwarded the recommendation to the Law department which granted remission to Hembram on Tuesday.