Man gets death sentence for rape-murder of minor girl

A court in Maharashtra's Parbhani

district has awarded death sentence to a man for raping and brutally killing a five year-old girl, observing the crime was "more cruel" than the act of the most dreaded animal.

Special Judge (POCSO cases) S G Inamdar in his order on Tuesday pronounced the accused, Vishnu Gore (30), guilty under Indian Penal Code Section 302 for murder and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

According to the prosecution, the girl lived with her grandparents, who worked as farm labourers, at a village in Parbhani, located around 500 km from here.

On October 27, 2016, when the grandparents returned home from work, they did not find the girl at home.

After unsuccessful attempts to locate her, they filed a missing person's complaint at Sonpeth police station two days later.

During the course of investigation, the police found the girl's body in a well near a field in the village on October 31, 2016 following which they arrested ...