Alipurduar, Oct. 5 -- The Alipurduar Special POCSO Court on Monday sentenced prime accused Bablu Mia to death and three others to imprisonment for the remainder of their natural lives for the rape and murder of a minor girl in Jaigaon.

Additional District and Sessions Judge cum Special POCSO Judge PJ Bhattacharya (Hossain) sentenced Bablu to death. The three other accused-Zaidul Islam, Monir Hossain and Mojibul Sheikh-were sentenced to life imprisonment until death. The court also directed the state government to pay Rs 6 lakh as compensation to the victim's family.

The seven-year-old girl went missing from Jaigaon on October 15, 2024. Her family lodged a complaint at Jaigaon Police Station the following day. Nearly four days later, her charred and semi-nude body was recovered from an abandoned warehouse at Daldabari. Police had arrested Bablu from Siliguri, allegedly while he was trying to flee towards Nepal. Three others were subsequently arrested. All four were neighbours of the victim. According to the police investigation, Bablu had allegedly lured the girl by promising her chowmein. CCTV footage from different parts of Jaigaon helped police trace him.

Public prosecutor Debranjan Banerjee said: "Post-mortem and forensic reports supported the prosecution's case. DNA evidence reportedly linked the accused to samples collected from the victim's clothes. However, the allegation that the body had been deliberately set on fire could not be established in court. The court examined 22 witnesses during the trial."

The victim's father, who was unwell, died during the trial. After the verdict, the victim's mother said: "I have no one left now. I had demanded death penalty for all four accused. However, whatever the court has ordered, I feel my daughter's soul has found some peace."

The relatives of the accused broke down in tears at the court premises.

Banerjee described the crime as "brutal and heinous" and said the prosecution had sought the death penalty for all four accused.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.