Assam man sentenced to death for rape, murder of 5-year-old girl

Tezpur, December 21

A man was sentenced to death on Monday by a court in Assam’s Bishwanath district for raping and killing a five-year-old girl.

Bishwanath Additional Sessions Court Judge Dipankar Bora sentenced the man to death after convicting him under IPC’s Sections 376 (A) that deals with sexual offences leading to death, and 302 (murder).

He was also sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and a fine of Rs 7,000 was imposed.

The court also gave him seven years in jail under IPC Section 363 (kidnapping), besides slapping a fine of Rs 3,000.

The incident happened in November 2018 at a tea garden in the Sootea police station area, officials said.

The convict was a relative of the girl and had come to her house for some work, they said.

He had lured the girl by offering her chocolate and took her to a nearby jungle where he raped her, killed and hid the body.

The man hails from the Lokhra Burhagaon area of the Sonitpur district.

Public Prosecutor Jahnavi Kalita said that altogether 16 witnesses, including doctors and police, were examined during the trial. PTI