Gurugram: 25-year-old man sentenced to death for rape and murder of 3-year-old girl

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A local court in Gurugram Wednesday sentenced a 25-year-old man to death for rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in 2018 and also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the accused, police said.

The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shashi Chauhan awarded Rs 10 lakh compensation for rehabilitation to the victim's family, newswire PTI reported quoting police.

Special Prosecutor Sunil Parmar said that a youth from Uttar Pradesh had raped and brutally murdered a three-year-old girl in Sector 65 police station area on November 11, 2018, the report said. The incident took place when three girls were playing outside their house, he added.

Parmar said that the accused lured the girls with money. Two girls were not ready to go, but he took a three-year-old girl with him, he added. When the girl did not return home till evening, her parents began searching for her and lodged a complaint, police said.

The girl's body was found in a mutilated condition next day in front of a temple in the area, they said. While there were cut marks on the girl's body, her face was crushed with a brick, police said. The girl's private part was also found badly injured, they said.

A case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act and sections of murder and rape, police said. The accused was arrested and the girl's clothes and other evidence were recovered, they said. The accused was lodged in the Bhondsi Jail post his arrest, police said.

"The prosecution presented strong evidence and witnesses in the court. CCTV footage was also presented in the court in which the accused was seen taking the girl away. The court took this matter seriously and considered all the aspects," Parmar said.

"He was declared guilty on February 3 and the verdict on his punishment was reserved. The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shashi Chauhan on Wednesday sentenced the accused," he added.

Ravi Kant, a child rights activist, who closely monitors POCSO cases in the country, said: "The primary objective of setting up specialized courts like Fast Track Special Courts was to provide speedy disposal of cases, especially those related to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act. But till January 31, 2023, there will still 2,43,237 cases pending in the country and only in three per cent of the cases the criminals were convicted. These are alarming numbers."

"Speedy as well as stringent punishments in POCSO cases will create the fear of law in the minds of the criminals, which will consequently lead to a reduction in the cases of sexual exploitation of the children in the country," he added, according to a statement. (With inputs from PTI)