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3 Months of Operation Conviction: 6 child predators get death penalty; capital punishment awarded in 3 killings
The investigation officers and prosecution officers in these nine cases were felicitated by U.P. DGP Vijaya Kumar during an event held at the police headquarters on Saturday.
LUCKNOW Within just three months, six child predators have been brought to justice in Uttar Pradesh under Operation Conviction, which was launched by U.P. DGP Vijaya Kumar in June this year, shortly after assuming command of the U.P. Police on May 31, 2023. Meanwhile, the death penalty was given in three cases of brutal killings in the same period.
To recall, a child predator was sentenced to death in just 88 days in Auraiya on June 28, 2023, after the discovery of the body of an eight-year-old girl under the jurisdiction of Ayana police station on March 25, 2023, earlier this year.
The investigation officer in the case, sub-inspector Suresh Chandra, identified the culprit based on circumstantial and forensic evidence and filed charges against him just six days after the postmortem confirmed the sexual assault on the girl. Subsequently, the prosecution officer, head constable Anurag Singh, vigorously pursued the case in the special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, securing a conviction and a death penalty for the perpetrator, along with a fine of ₹5 lakh.
In the second such case, a four-year-old girl fell victim to a sex predator, suffering rape and murder. Her body was discovered in a remote location under the jurisdiction of Jahagirabad police station in Bulandshahr on April 23, 2023. The police zeroed in on the accused, Naeem, and within 10 days, the investigation officer, inspector Neeraj Kumar, filed charges against him in the local court. Thereafter, the prosecution officer, head constable Shantanu Tyagi, pursued the case relentlessly, resulting in a conviction and the imposition of the death penalty within 84 days, on July 26, along with a fine of ₹1.2 lakh on the convict.
Under this initiative, the accused in four other similar cases involving the rape and murder of minor girls were given a death penalty in the past three months. These cases were reported under the jurisdiction of Jamunapar police station in Mathura, Amritpur police station in Mathura, Civil Lines police station in Badaun, and Reusa police station in Sitapur.
Simultaneously, accused in three other cases -- involving the brutal killings of a school principal, Ramesh Babu Shukla, by three self-radicalised ISIS operatives in Kanpur’s Chakeri police station in 2016, the brutal murder of two individuals by multiple stabbings in Kanpur’s Hasanganj police station in 2012, and the double murders of a mother and daughter duo in Bijnor’s Najibabad police station in 2015 -- were given capital punishment during this period.
During an event held at the police headquarters on Saturday, the DGP commended the investigation officers and prosecution officers in these nine cases where the accused were convicted and sentenced to death in the past three months. He also sent letters of appreciation to the investigation officers and prosecution officers in eight other cases in which the court imposed life imprisonment on the convicts during the same period.
Operation Conviction In Numbers
In 7,665 criminal cases, 10,487 accused were convicted and awarded punishment.
10 accused, including two terrorists, awarded death penalty.
1,142 accused awarded life imprisonment.
189 accused were given 20 years of imprisonment.
722 accused got 10 years or more years of imprisonment
Conviction rate increases to 90% as compared to 35%
