Man sentenced to death for rape-murder of 3-year-old girl in Bihar

Source:-https://www.hindustantimes.com

After 24 months of trial in an incident of rape and murder of a three-year-old girl, the 29-year-old accused was awarded death sentence by a special POCSO (Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act) court in Samastipur district on Saturday. The order was passed by the court through video conferencing.

The case had come to the fore on June 2, 2018 in Dalsingsarai police station area of Samastipur, from where the minor went missing while playing with her seven-year-old brother.

When the girl did not return home till late night, the parents began a search operation. During interrogation, her brother informed about a man who took her away.

Samastipur SP Bikas Burman said the victim’s family was allegedly informed by some neighbours that the girl was last seen with a man. The next morning, the girl’s naked body was found in a field with marks of strangulation and her private parts damaged.

On the basis of the complaint filed by the victim’s mother, an FIR was registered against the accused under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections pertaining to rape and murder and under the POCSO Act, Burman said.

The man, Ramlal Mahto, had lured the minor and taken her to a secluded place, where he sexually assaulted her and then killed her. The girl’s father works as a migrant labourer.

Mahto was nabbed after a search of four days by the police and was sent to jail. The police submitted the chargesheet in the case within the stipulated period while the special POCSO court took cognizance of the matter on August 20, 2018.

During the trial, the prosecution led by special public prosecutor Binod Kumar produced eight witnesses before the court and completed their argument.

While delivering the order, special judge-cum-additional district and session judge (ADJ-6) of POCSO court termed the case “heinous”. While reading out judgment through video conferencing, the judge said that accused would be sentenced to hanging till death under the Section 302 of the IPC and life imprisonment till natural death under the POCSO Act.