Odisha Court Sentences Man to Death for Rape, Murder of Minor Girl

Sambalpur: A Special POCSO Court in Odisha’s Sambalpur today sentenced a man to death for the rape and murder of a minor girl.

The man, identified as Prashant Baghar was awarded capital punishment based on the testimony of 25 witnesses and the evidence presented. Baghar was also fined ₹1 crore.

On March 25, 2022, the girl went to a field near her village to relieve herself when Baghar abducted her. He sexually assaulted her before killing her with an axe. Villagers caught him washing her severed head at a tubewell and alerted the police, who arrested him.

Following a complaint by the victim’s father, police filed a case under Sections 302 and 367 of the IPC and the POCSO Act.