2-year-old girl raped and murdered; fast-track court awards death sentence to accused

In a major verdict by a fast-track court in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, a 30-year-old man identified as Chandan Pandey was sentenced to death for raping and murdering the 2-year-old daughter of his colleague.

The victim was raped and murdered on October 19, 2020 under the Kavi Nagar police station area. The court had held the man guilty on January 18 this year.

The trial of the accused lasted for 29 days after the case was fast-tracked. Mahendra Srivastava, special judge (POCSO Act) termed the case "rarest of rare" and awarded the maximum punishment to the convict, according to a report in Hindustan Times.

The crime took place when the convict reached the victim's house and took her away from her mother on the pretext of taking her to a shop.

As the man did not return till late night, the family mounted a search and also informed police. The mutilated body of the victim was found near a drain in an industrial area the next day. The accused was later arrested.

The accused was charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sections 302, 201, 376(a), 376(ab) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The police filed the charge sheet in the case on December 16 2020.

Citing autopsy report, the prosecution said the child had suffered eight external injuries, indicating death due to asphyxia from strangling. The court also relied on forensic reports which confirmed the DNA of the accused was found on the girl's body.

Besides the death penalty, the court also sentenced the man to life imprisonment for murder under IPC and seven years' imprisonment for the destruction of evidence.