31-year-old awarded death sentence in 2021 rape, murder case in Jalandhar

A 31-year-old man from Goraya has been sentenced to death for the heinous rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in 2021. Additional Session Judge Archana Kamboj delivered the verdict in a fast-track court in Jalandhar on Thursday, bringing closure to the case four years after the crime.

On February 13, 2021, the victim went missing from outside her home in a Goraya village. Her family and villagers launched a frantic search, which led to the gruesome discovery of her blood-stained body in the accused’s house. Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, was a neighbour of the victim’s family.

The police investigation revealed that Gurpreet had kidnapped the girl, raped her multiple times, and attempted to dispose of her body. The postmortem report confirmed injuries on the girl’s head, inflicted with a sharp-edged weapon or stone, causing her death.

Gurpreet was arrested after villagers beat him up upon discovering the body. An FIR was registered under Sections 302, 364, 376, and 201 of the IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act.