Silchar, January 31: A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to seven years in prison for the alleged rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Assam's Hailakandi district. The horrific incident that reportedly took place in February 2022 had shocked the village community at that time. The court while passing the order said that the teenage boy will be placed in a shelter home for the time being, and will be sent to jail once he turns 18.

According to the documents filed at Ramnathpur Police Station in Hailakandi, the six-year-old girl went missing on February 9, 2022. When the girl didn't return home, her father lodged a complaint with the police. The lifeless body of the victim was found three days later, after an extensive search operation conducted by the villagers and the members of the family. Following this, an investigation headed by Hailakandi SP, Gaurav Upadhyay was launched, reported TOI. Assam Shocker: 17-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Rape and Murder of Six-Year-Old Girl in Barpeta District.

The minor boy who was 14 years old at the time of committing the crime was arrested along with his father on February 13, 2022. The boy confessed to his crime during interrogation by police. In his confessional statement the accused said that he strangled the girl following the sexual assault. The boy's father was later granted bail. Assam Shocker: 23-Year-Old Man Arrested for Recording Obscene Videos of Mumbai Woman and Circulating Them on Internet.

On Monday, January 22, Special judge Sanjoy Hazarika delivered the verdict, under sections 302 (murder), 201 (tampering with evidence), and 363 (kidnapping) under Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for penetrative sexual assault. This decision of the court followed the testimony of 29 witnesses. The whole process was conducted in a fast track manner.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2024 08:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).