Assam court awards death penalty to man for rape, murder of 4-year-old girl in Bilasipara

A court in Assam's Bilasipara sentenced Utpal Roy to death after convicting him in the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Chapar in 2023.

The verdict was pronounced by the Additional District and Sessions Court in Bilasipara, nearly three years after the child was allegedly raped and killed at Krishnakali Tea Estate in Chapar.

The four-year-old girl went missing from her home in September 2023, following which police launched a search operation. After three days, her body was recovered from inside the tea garden with the help of a sniffer dog. The recovery was carried out in the presence of a magistrate and a forensic team as part of the investigation.

According to the prosecution case, Roy had taken the child into the tea garden, where he allegedly raped her. He was subsequently accused of killing the girl in an attempt to conceal the crime and leaving her body inside the tea estate.

Following a complaint by the girl's family, Chapar Police registered a case, numbered 179/23, and initiated an investigation.

The case was registered under Sections 363(A), 376, 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

After examining the evidence and hearing the proceedings, the Bilasipara court convicted Roy and awarded him the death penalty under the POCSO Act.

Government advocate Tapan Bhatt led the prosecution in the case. The investigation was initially conducted by police officer Arpana Talukdar and was later taken over by Ranjit Kakati. Deepjyoti Ingti subsequently filed the chargesheet.

The verdict comes nearly three years after the child's death in the case involving the rape and murder of a minor.