Gujarat: Man gets death sentence for raping and murdering minor

Vadodara: A special POCSO court sentenced a man to death for raping and murdering a minor girl in 2019.

Special Judge J A Thakkar on Thursday awarded capital punishment and also slapped a fine of Rs 1.30 lakh on Sanjay Baria.

The Judge observed, "Sanjay Baria raped and strangulated the girl, who was just a little older to his daughter. It was a henious crime but Baria has no remorse for the offence he has committed, that is why this case is rarest of rare."

On May 17, 2019, Sanjay kidnapped the eight-year-old girl from the slums of the Goraj village in Vadodara. He took her to bushes, raped and strangulated her and fled the crime scene.

When the parents started searching for the missing girl and were unable to trace her, the police were informed, and the next morning, the victim's body was found from bushes.

As there were no eyewitnesses to the kidnapping and girl going out of slums, police took the help of a sniffer dog, who helped police to found the body and catch Baria, who was present at the slum that time.

Based on medical evidence, the court found Baria guilty and also directed the District Legal Aid Service to pay compensation to the victim's family.