A special court in Agra sentenced two men to death for the abduction, gang-rape, and murder of a five-year-old girl, a crime that the judge described as among the "rarest of the rare" cases.
Judge Sonika Chaudhary, presiding over the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Court, handed down four separate death penalties to Amit and Nikhil, citing multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as provisions under the POCSO Act.
In addition to the capital punishment, the court imposed a fine of Rs 4.5 lakh on each defendant. This amount will be provided to the victim’s parents as compensation, according to Additional District Government Counsel Subhash Giri and Special Public Prosecutor Vijay Kishan Lavania. The sentences, however, will not take effect until they receive confirmation from the Allahabad High Court.
The case dates back to March 18, 2024, when the child was reported missing. Amit allegedly contacted the victim’s father the following day, demanding Rs 6 lakh as ransom and threatening violence if police intervention occurred.
When the ransom went unpaid, both accused sexually assaulted and killed the girl. Her body was discovered two days later in a mustard field near the railway line, with post-mortem reports indicating strangulation and evidence of sexual assault, officials confirmed.
Aside from the death sentences, the court also issued additional penalties, including life imprisonment and fines for related crimes such as unnatural offences and the destruction of evidence.
(With inputs from news agency PTI)