Man sentenced to death by Gujarat court for rape, murder of minor girl

A 31-year-old man was sentenced to death by a special court here in Gujarat on Tuesday for kidnapping, raping and murdering a minor girl, a verdict coming less than four months after the offence was committed.

Special POCSO (Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences) court judge DP Gohil handed down capital punishment to the accused, Ramprasad Maheshsingh, a native of Anuppur district in adjoining Madhya Pradesh, for kidnapping and sexually assaulting the three years and nine months old girl before strangling her to death.

The offence was committed on April 14, and a charge-sheet filed by the police on April 27. Charges were framed against the accused on April 30 and a day-to-day hearing was conducted, special public prosecutor Nayan Sukhadwala said.

The court also ordered payment of Rs 3 lakh to the family of the victim under a compensation scheme.

The verdict would have been delivered much earlier had the previous judge presiding over the case not been transferred, Sukhadwala said.

As per details of the case, the victim was sleeping with her family members on a footpath in Surat city’s Puna locality when the convict kidnapped her. He took her to an isolated place where he sexually assaulted and later killed the minor girl.

The man tried to destroy evidence by throwing the body in a pit and covering it with garbage and stones, according to the police.

An FIR was lodged against him at the Puna police station under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping), 376 (A)(B) (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and also provisions of the POCSO Act. PTI RSY RSY

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