The accused, her neighbour, took her to his room by offering her some chocolates and committed the heinous crime
Aurnagabad : A 28-year-old man has been awarded death penalty by a Jalna district and sessions court following the charges of rape and murder of a two-year-old toddler were proved against him.
The convict of the rape and murder has been identified as Ravi Ashok Ghumare (28, Indiranagar, Jalna) and the judgment was delivered by the judge, Ashutosh N Karmarkar, in a jam-packed court hall in Jalna on Friday.
The crime was committed on March 6, 2012 at his house. According to the charge sheet, the girl was playing in the front yard of her house when Ghumare, her neighbour, took her to his room by offering her some chocolates and committed the heinous crime.
When the girl disappeared from the area, a missing complaint was lodged with the Kadim Jalna police. The police found a house locked from inside, which they broke open to find the girl lying under a cot motionless. She was rushed to the Jalna Civil Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
The prosecutor, Mukund Kolhe had demanded death sentence to Ghumare as it is the ”rarest of the rare” category. He said the convict had conspired and executed the crime in a brutal manner. The prosecution said the convict raped the toddler and also indulged in unnatural sex with the toddler before killing her.
The prosecutor said the horrible incident had shaken the collective conscience of society. After hearing both the sides, the prosecution examined 12 witnesses. The judge on Wednesday held him guilty and on Friday, sentenced him to death.
Sudhir Dharmadhikari
