Sambalpur/Jamankira: A special POCSO court Tuesday handed down capital punishment to a man after convicting him for the rape and murder of a minor that occurred at Kasada village under Jamankira police limits in the district in 2022.
The convict has been identified as Prasant Baghar, 32, a resident of the same village.
Special judge Abhilash Senapati also slapped a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on the convict, in addition to the punishment, special public prosecutor (SPP) Santosh Panda said. The judge passed the order after examining the statement of 25 witnesses, charge-sheet and other evidence in the case, the SPP said.
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The incident occurred March 25, 2022 when the eight-year-old minor had gone to attend nature’s call on a field near her house in the village. Prasant waylaid the minor before raping her. Later, he beheaded the victim with an axe. He then walked up to a tube well in the village with the severed head. He was washing the head when fellow villagers spotted him and raised an alarm before informing the Jamankira police which reached the spot and arrested Prasad. Police also seized the severed head and the murder weapon.
Police registered a case on an FIR lodged by the girl’s father and produced Prasant before the court for remand, the SPP added.
PNN