Jhalawar man awarded death for minor's rape, murder

Komal Lodha, a resident of Mogiabeha village, was awarded death by a POCSO court here. He was arrested on July 30, 2018, and booked under sections of the IPC and the POCSO Act, for raping and killing a minor. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on the convict.

Kota(Rajasthan): A POCSO court here in Jhalawar awarded death penalty to a 23-year-old man for raping and killing a seven-year-old girl.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict.

The incident had taken place on July 2018 at a village under the Kamkheda police station.

Komal Lodha, a resident of Mogiabeha village, had abducted the seven-year-old girl from outside her residence on the night of July 27, 2018.

He took her to the nearby fields, where he raped and killed her.

When the minor was not found throughout the night, her parents lodged a complaint at the Kamkheda police station the next day.

The minor was found choked to death on the same day in the fields.

"The Kamkheda police arrested Komal Lodha on July 30, 2018, and booked him under sections of the IPC and the POCSO Act," special public prosecutor Ramhetar Gujjar said. Reportedly, he had been under judicial custody since then.

"During the trial, statements of around 37 witnesses were recorded and 54 documents were produced before the court," Gujjar said, adding that the court termed the crime most heinous.