Guwahati, Sep 15 — A court in Assam's Bilasipara in the Goalpara district has sentenced a man to death after convicting him of raping and murdering a four-year-old girl in Chapar in 2023, bringing the nearly three-year-old case to its conclusion, officials said on Tuesday.
The Additional District and Sessions Court, Bilasipara, pronounced the sentence against Utpal Roy after finding him guilty in the case involving the minor's rape and murder at Krishnakali Tea Estate in Chapar locality in the district.
According to the prosecution, the child went missing from her home in September 2023, triggering an extensive search operation by the police and local authorities. Three days later, her body was recovered from inside the tea garden with the assistance of a sniffer dog.
The recovery was conducted in the presence of a magistrate and a forensic team as investigators began collecting evidence from the crime scene.
The prosecution alleged that Roy had taken the child into the tea estate, where he sexually assaulted her and subsequently killed her in an attempt to conceal the crime. The girl's body was then allegedly abandoned inside the tea garden.
Following a complaint lodged by the victim's family, Chapar Police registered case number 179/23 and launched an investigation. The case was filed under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 363(A), 376, 302 and 201, along with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
After examining the evidence and hearing arguments from the prosecution and defence, the court convicted Roy and awarded him the death penalty under the POCSO Act.
Government advocate Tapan Bhatt represented the prosecution during the proceedings.
The investigation was initially conducted by police officer Arpana Talukdar and subsequently taken over by Ranjit Kakati. Investigating officer Deepjyoti Ingti later submitted the chargesheet before the court.
The verdict comes nearly three years after the child's death and underscores the prolonged legal process in a case involving the sexual assault and killing of a minor.
The prosecution's case was built around the circumstances surrounding the child's disappearance, recovery of her body from the tea estate and subsequent investigation into the alleged crime.