Court sentences 3 to death in 2021 rape, murder case of minor

A local court in Mangaluru on Friday sentenced three accused - Jayasingo (21), Mukesh Singh (20), and Manish Tirki (33) - to death for the brutal rape and murder of a six-year-old girl from Jharkhand in 2021

A local court in Mangaluru on Friday sentenced three accused - Jayasingo (21), Mukesh Singh (20), and Manish Tirki (33) - to death for the brutal rape and murder of a six-year-old girl from Jharkhand in 2021.

After careful consideration of the evidence, judge KS Manu imposed the death penalty on the three accused under IPC sections 302, 376D, 120B, 34, and Section 6 of the Pocso Act. (File photo)

After the order passed by the second additional district and session court, special public prosecutor K Badarinath Nayari told reporters: “On Sunday, November 21, 2021, the Raj Tiles factory in Tiruvailu was closed, but workers were allowed to stay on the premises. The child was playing outside when the accused lured her away with food items to a secluded area of the factory, where they committed the heinous crime.”

“Muneem Singh, the fourth accused, stood guard and assisted in disposing of the body. The accused strangled the child to silence her and hid the body in a basement,” he said.

Acting on a complaint filed by the victim’s mother, Mangaluru Rural police initiated a legal case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. These sections include: 120B (criminal conspiracy), 366A (kidnapping), 376D (gang rape), 377 (unnatural offenses), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 34 (common intention), and 6 of the Pocso Act.

Following the investigation, then-Inspector Johnson D’Souza submitted a comprehensive charge sheet to the court. The court examined the testimonies of 30 witnesses and 74 documents. After careful consideration of the evidence, judge KS Manu imposed the death penalty on the three accused under IPC sections 302, 376D, 120B, 34, and Section 6 of the Pocso Act.

The court also sentenced the accused to five years of rigorous imprisonment under IPC Sections 366A and 34, accompanied by a fine of ₹10,000 each.

Additionally, the court imposed a 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence on all three accused under IPC Sections 377 and 34, along with a fine of ₹20,000 each. The court also sentenced them to five years of rigorous imprisonment under IPC sections 201 and 34, accompanied by a fine of ₹10,000 each.

The judge ordered to pay fine of ₹1,20,000 will be given to the victim’s parents, along with an additional ₹3,80,000 from the rape victims’ compensation scheme by district legal aid authority.