Odia television and film actress Lakshmipriya Behera, better known by her screen name Nikita, was one of the more familiar faces on Odisha’s small screen through the 2010s. Years after her sudden death in January 2019, she remains part of public conversation for a different reason: a long-running murder case that concluded in February 2026, when a Cuttack court convicted her husband, actor Lipan Sahu, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. This article brings together what is reliably known about her life, career and death, and traces the case from the initial police complaint to the final verdict.
Lakshmipriya Behera / Nikita at a Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Lakshmipriya Behera (also reported as Laxmipriya Behera) |
| Popular Name | Nikita |
| Profession | Television and film actress |
| Industry | Odia entertainment (Ollywood) |
| Known For | TV serials ACP Nikita and Tapasya; films including Chori Chori Mana Chori, Maa Ra Panatakani and Smile Please |
| Date of Death | January 5, 2019 |
| Place Associated with Career | Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, Odisha |
| Spouse | Lipan Sahu (Odia film actor) |
| Child | One child, born shortly before her death |
Early Life and Family
Little independently verified information is publicly available about Lakshmipriya Behera’s childhood, schooling or early years. Media reports consistently identify her father as Sanatan Behera, who later became the complainant in the criminal case following her death, and place her family home in the Mahanadi Vihar area of Cuttack.
Career in Odia Television and Entertainment
Lakshmipriya Behera built her identity in the Odia entertainment industry under the screen name Nikita, a name so closely tied to her public persona that several outlets refer to her simply as “actress Nikita” even in formal reporting. She worked across Odia television serials, feature films and, according to some entertainment databases, a large number of Odia music albums, a format that has traditionally served as a launching pad for many Ollywood performers.
Her television work is what made her a familiar face in Odisha households, with recurring roles that carried her name into the title of at least one popular serial — a mark of the recognition she had built in the regional television space.
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TV Serials and Popular Work
Across multiple news reports, two television serials are repeatedly credited to her:
- ACP Nikita — a serial whose title itself reflects her popularity, and which several obituary and case reports cite as her defining television role.
- Tapasya — another serial mentioned consistently across reports as one of the shows that built her audience.
These two titles appear across independent news reports spanning her 2019 death coverage and the 2026 verdict coverage, giving them stronger corroboration than other credits attributed to her.
Films, Albums and Other Works
Nikita’s film credits, as reported by Odisha news outlets at the time of her death and afterward, include:
- Chori Chori Mana Chori
- Maa Ra Panatakani
- Smile Please
- Mita Basichi Mu Bhuta Sathire (also transliterated as Mit Basichi Mu Bhuta Saathi Re)
- Akhi Kholibaku Dara Laguchi, reported by some outlets as her Ollywood debut
- Mathare Dei Pata Odhani
- Gunda
Some entertainment-database sources also credit her with appearances in a large number of Odia music albums, a common career path in the regional industry, though the specific list of albums has not been independently verified and is not reproduced here.
Personal Life and Marriage
Nikita was married to Lipan Sahu, an actor from the Gopalpur area of Cuttack. News reports differ on the exact year of their marriage — contemporaneous 2019 reporting placed the wedding in 2016, while later reporting around the 2026 verdict cited September 2017 — and this discrepancy has not been resolved by an authoritative record available publicly. After marriage, she reportedly moved to Bhubaneswar to live with her husband, though she also continued to spend considerable time at her parents’ home in Cuttack’s Mahanadi Vihar locality, a detail that news coverage at the time noted without further elaboration.
The couple had one child. Reporting around the 2026 court verdict quoted Nikita’s mother describing the child as an infant son who was three months old and born prematurely at the time of his mother’s death, and who was seven years old when the verdict was delivered. Earlier, contemporaneous 2019 reports had described the child differently; given the conflicting accounts, this article relies on the family’s own more recent, directly quoted description.
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What Happened to Lakshmipriya Behera (Nikita)?
On the night of January 4, 2019, Nikita was at her parents’ house in the Mahanadi Vihar area of Cuttack, where her husband, Lipan Sahu, had also gone. According to police statements at the time, an altercation took place between the couple, during which Nikita fell from the terrace of the house and suffered severe head injuries. She was rushed first to a private hospital and then to the government-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack; as her condition worsened, she was moved to another private hospital in the CDA area, where she died on January 5, 2019, while undergoing treatment.
In the immediate aftermath, the exact circumstances of the fall were unclear. Police officials said at the time that it was not immediately certain whether Nikita had been pushed or had fallen during the scuffle, while her husband’s legal counsel suggested the possibility of suicide. Members of Lipan Sahu’s family denied allegations of domestic discord, with his sister telling reporters that there had been no issues between Nikita and her in-laws. Nikita’s own family, however, alleged that she had been pushed from the terrace and had also faced dowry-related harassment.
Nikita Case: Investigation and Court Proceedings
Following a complaint lodged by her father, Sanatan Behera, the Chauliaganj police station registered a case invoking Sections 302 (murder), 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives), 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, and began an investigation into the circumstances of her death.
Within days of the incident, Cuttack police stated that circumstantial evidence pointed to Lipan Sahu’s responsibility for her death. He was produced before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Cuttack, where his bail application was rejected, and he was sent to judicial custody at Choudwar Circle Jail. His defence indicated it would seek bail before the Sessions Court.
What followed was a prolonged trial before the Third Additional District and Sessions Judge (Additional District Judge-3) Court in Cuttack, spanning roughly seven years from the registration of the case to the final verdict. During this period, the court examined witnesses and evidence relating to both the murder allegation against Lipan Sahu and the cruelty and domestic-violence allegations levelled against his parents.
Court Verdict and Latest Legal Status
On Thursday, February 26, 2026, the Third Additional District and Sessions Judge Court in Cuttack delivered its verdict. The court:
- Convicted Lipan Sahu of murdering his wife, Lakshmipriya Behera (Nikita), and sentenced him to life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 20,000.
- Acquitted Lipan Sahu’s parents of the cruelty and domestic-violence-related charges they had faced, citing insufficient evidence against them.
Reports describe the verdict as bringing closure to a case that had drawn sustained public attention in Odisha over nearly seven years. Nikita’s parents, who had raised her infant son through the course of the legal battle, told reporters that the judgment had restored their faith in the justice system, even as they said nothing could undo their loss. As of the time of writing, no publicly reported appeal against the verdict has been confirmed; readers should treat the life sentence and fine as the latest known status of the case, subject to any future appellate proceedings that may be reported later.
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Legacy
Lakshmipriya Behera is remembered in Odisha’s entertainment circles primarily through her television work, particularly the serials ACP Nikita and Tapasya, which were popular enough that her screen name effectively became her public identity. Her death, and the long legal process that followed it, also made her case a frequently cited example in Odisha’s public discourse around matrimonial disputes and the pace of the state’s judicial process. The 2026 verdict renewed attention to her career and her life story among Odia audiences who had followed the case for years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Lakshmipriya Behera?
Lakshmipriya Behera was an Odia television and film actress, popularly known by her screen name Nikita, recognised for her work in Odia serials and films through the 2010s.
Why was she known as Nikita?
Nikita was her screen name in the Odia entertainment industry; it became so closely associated with her that a television serial, ACP Nikita, was named after it.
Which TV serials did Nikita act in?
She is most consistently credited with roles in the serials ACP Nikita and Tapasya.
Which Odia films featured Nikita?
Her film credits reported by news outlets include Chori Chori Mana Chori, Maa Ra Panatakani, Smile Please, Mita Basichi Mu Bhuta Sathire, Akhi Kholibaku Dara Laguchi, Mathare Dei Pata Odhani and Gunda.
When did Nikita die?
She died on January 5, 2019, at a private hospital in Cuttack, after falling from a terrace in the city’s Mahanadi Vihar area the previous night.
Who was Nikita’s husband?
Her husband was Lipan Sahu, an actor from the Gopalpur area of Cuttack.
What happened in the Nikita case?
Police registered a case against Lipan Sahu under IPC sections relating to murder, cruelty and abetment of suicide, following a complaint by Nikita’s father. The case went to trial before a Cuttack sessions court.
What was the court verdict in the Nikita case?
In February 2026, the Third Additional District and Sessions Judge Court in Cuttack convicted Lipan Sahu of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment with a Rs 20,000 fine, while acquitting his parents of related cruelty charges.
Is there any further legal development expected in the case?
No confirmed appeal has been publicly reported as of the verdict. Any later appellate developments would need to be tracked through subsequent Odisha news coverage.