Navi Mumbai:
A local court has awarded death penalty to a man from Navi Mumbai for raping and killing a five-year-old girl in January this year.
Dattatray Rokde, 53, was convicted by the Thane sessions court on Friday, just two months after a charge sheet was filed in the case, making it among the first speedy convictions under the new and stringent Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act.
"This is the first case of its kind where we think conviction has been so quick," Public Prosecutor Sangita Fad said.
Police said the case came together mainly because of the unflinching testimony of Rokde's wife and son, who played a pivotal role in leading to the arrest by helping police gather crucial evidence.
The court, while delivering the verdict, observed that Rokde deserved the rarest of rare punishment for the "barbaric and inhuman" act.
Reacting to the verdict, Srikant Pathak, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Navi Mumbai), said, "This case was very sensitive for us. We are happy that our investigation led us to the accused and now the court has also given him death penalty."
The little girl, who was Rokde's neighbour, had gone missing on the afternoon of January 22, after her parents left for work. Her body was found outside her house, just hours after they filed a police complaint.
Police, in its investigation, said the child was taken by Rokde in his flat, where she was raped and then smothered with a pillow.
The whereabouts of Dattaray's wife and son, however, are currently unknown.