UP court awards death to man for sodomy, murder of 7-year-old

Lucknow: A fast-track court in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district on Wednesday sentenced a 22-year-old man to death by hanging for the sexual assault and murder of a seven-year-old boy, barely a month after the crime came to light.The judgment was delivered by Dinesh Kumar, special judge (Pocso). The judgment came within 30 working days of the FIR being registered on Feb 23 and the chargesheet on March 7.The court convicted the accused, Pintu alias Koyal, under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 238A (causing disappearance of evidence) of the BNS, along with provisions of the Pocso Act. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 4 lakh on him and said the money would be paid to the victim's mother as compensation for rehabilitation.The trial records have been forwarded to the high court for confirmation. Until then, the convict will remain lodged in Deoria district jail.Keshav Kumar, SP of Kushinagar, who monitored the case, told TOI that the victim went to a tilak ceremony in his village on the evening of Feb 22 but failed to return home. A missing person report was filed the next morning, and within hours locals found the boy's body near his residence."A postmortem confirmed death due to asphyxiation and established sexual assault," Kumar said.A breakthrough came when it was found that the victim's relative, Pintu, was missing since the night of the incident. A search of his house led to the recovery of blood-stained shorts, which a family member confirmed the suspect had worn on the night of the crime.Police then spoke to the suspect's wife, who has been living at her parental home for several months. Her statements further strengthened suspicion against him, Kumar said.Police said the suspect lured the child to a secluded location with money, sexually assaulted him, and then killed him to avoid identification. He later hid the body before fleeing.Investigators said forensic evidence played a crucial role in securing the fast conviction. "The blood-stained shorts and a used condom recovered near the body were sent for forensic analysis. The DNA report, secured within seven days upon a request to the FSL, matched that of the suspect with samples found on the victim," Kumar said."All evidence was collected promptly and scientifically, ensuring a watertight case. The DNA findings were incorporated into the chargesheet, strengthening the prosecution," Kumar said.Police said the accused later confessed to the crime during interrogation and was sent to jail on Feb 25.