Odisha: 5 get death sentence for gang rape, murder of minor

A court in Odisha’s Keonjhar district on Monday awarded death sentence to five persons for the gang rape and murder of a minor girl.

A court in Odisha’s Keonjhar district on Monday awarded death sentence to five persons for the gang rape and murder of a minor girl.

“Champua additional district judge Jadumani Mishra found the rape and murder of the 13-year-old girl to be rarest of the rare and awarded the accused death penalty,” additional public prosecutor Madhusudan Pati told HT.

In 2012, seven persons had abducted the Class 8 student from her village Belagundi under Barbil police station in the district, about 270 km from Bhubaneswar, while she was on her way to tuition classes.

They killed the girl after gang raping her in a secluded forest area. Her body was recovered from the forest a day later.

Her rape and murder had sparked tension in Barbil town that observed a dawn-to-dusk shutdown demanding immediate arrest and strong action against the rapists.

Police arrested five accused a few days after the incident. Two others are still absconding even after three years of crime.